The Empire's Velvet Room
by NonaryNathan999
Summary: Welcome to the Velvet Room. This place can see between dream and reality, mind and matter. Now, why don't you introduce yourself? DISCONTINUED. SKIPPED TO ENDING.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own the Persona series or Akame ga Kill. Everything belongs to their respected owners.**

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

A young girl stood inside a small room. She had short chest length blonde hair with a fluffy, blue hair accessory. She wore a long sleeve white shirt with a blue bow tied at the collar under a blue dress with a black midsection. She wore it with white boots. To complete the look she also had big blue eyes.

Said eye color was light compared to the dark, velvet blue that was before her. But there was something very odd about the room's interior. In front of her were several rows of blue chairs facing forward, the front row being prevented from moving forward due to blue wooden fences propped up. There was a path that split up the chairs that led directly forward.

As she slowly walked forward, she took a look behind her to see the door she had come through with a stone frame and a brown door with a certain face she would never forget. The face was white on the left side while black on the right. That design looked so blank, yet so ominous at the same time in a way.

As she passed the fences, there were only three chairs to her right as well as her left. Both sections were behind blue tables. But to her farther right was a barrier of blue wood with two rows of a few chair with the back row being a bit taller than the front one. To her left sat another barrier of blue wood similar to the left. The only difference was that it was meant to seat only one person.

At the wall that was across from her was a giant podium with five chairs in a row facing her. The center held a golden gavel which was resting on a gold circle. To the right and left of the podium was a door, similar to the one that was behind her. The difference however were that the door on the left had the white face half only white the right had only the dark side of the face.

But what she really came here for was the table draped with a velvet blue tablecloth at the center of it all. There, a boy with dark blue hair unkempt at the front, blue eyes and a light build, being shorter than average. His bangs covered his right eye. What he wore could be described as a black school uniform unbuttoned accented with a loose black bow tie. A white collared shirt was worn under the uniform as he finished the look with a classic grey belt, black pants, and black shoes.

"This place may see between dream and reality, mind and matter." The boy continued as he was the one who had greeted the girl. He was sitting at the table already, a small deck of cards with a familiar face design on the back of them. "Now, I do believe there is no need to introduce yourself."

He gestured towards the table, allowing the girl to take a seat. Accepting the offer, the female slowly stepped forward until she reached the table. Pulling out the chair, she sat down on the soft cushioning that was provided by the seat. "It's nice to see you again, Mister Minato." The girl smiled politely with a small wave of her well manicured hand.

"As it is for you, Miss Aria." The boy now known as Minato nodded slowly. "Now… What is it that you desire to try and know?" He asked, taking the deck of cards by his side and began shuffling them. His fingers danced as they have done many times. Practice could be seen with such quick work.

He had seen the young girl many times already. Perhaps when he had just moved into the Capital of the Empire. He started this certain business because it seemed to be of a natural cause to him. The blonde girl was one of his first and most frequent customers, at least visiting him once a month. Though it would be for fortune telling, the girl would also ask to spend time together as her parents would be busy most of the time.

But a pair of hands interrupted his shuffling and thoughts.. Seeing his only hands clenched in the girl's grip, the boy looked over to the girl with curiosity. "Actually…" The girl trailed off, feeling a bit embarrassed that she had to interrupt one of her favorite's work. But she felt like she needed to do this herself. It was him that she needed help from after all. "I was wonder if… I could read my own fortune."

The curious gaze was still worn on the boys face. In the end, after a short period of silence, he let go of the deck and slid his hands out of her touch. Smiling thankfully, the girl got to work as she actually turned the cards around. She took great care of her she treated the objects, as if even the slightest wrong action would destroy the entire collection.

Finding her first card, she gently placed the card in front of her on the table with the top of it facing her. On the bottom it held a symbol of XIV with a design of four different shapes and different colors in their own private squares. "Temperance, inverted. Someone has taken a comfort in drink. From what does she see sully? What does she not wish to see?"

The boy only continued to watch the girl tell what she thought of the cards that she was placing in front of herself. He was interested to why she wanted to do this. If this was actually a way to express her request, he had no problem allowing her to do so. "Perhaps the many fools those are among the Empire?" He asked.

The girl gave an amused look before having her eyes widen in remembrance. "Ah, yes… the Fool." She continued, placing a card with a 0 with the bottom facing her. The picture was now a man with a bag attached to a stick that was over his shoulder and a dog was at their heel. "Someone has been led astray, continuing to follow down such a path."

"Not bad." The boy commented, leaning forward. "But, you have to make me believe it. I need to see it in your eyes." He added just the smallest smile, letting her know that he was making a small joke.

This time she smiled back as well, but it was also a bit sad. "I'll try to be better then." She replied, continuing to go through the deck. Next was a card with VI with a man silhouette on the left while a female silhouette was on the right. At the center above that was a heart. "The Lovers, a powerful relationship has led to a crossroad and needing to make a decision. But who does this relationship belong to, a daughter and her parents perhaps?" She asked before closing her eyes. "What is the name that I see? It is… Aria…"

"…What is it that you desire?" Minato whispered.

Staring directly into his eyes, the girl place one final card over the three she had just placed down. This final card held XX and had some sort of giant looking down towards a small group of people. "…Judgment." She whispered back.

Minato simply looked down to review the cards that were on the table. He soon looked back to see Aria's eyes that were solemn and full of guilt rather than the friendly gaze they held when she had entered. "Why do you desire such?" As he questioned her, he waved his hand at the same time. The cards immediately began to fly around the two of them. Spinning around, they danced in the air as they gathered back together into the deck and went back to his side.

Aria looked down towards the table. Her hands trembled and clutched her legs as well. "I was so happy…" She whispered. "I was… normal. Nothing was out of the ordinary for me. But… my parents… the horrible things they had done. They forced them onto me. Every time I said no, I only remember pain. I couldn't take it any longer. I partook in such horrible things. It was sickening at first… but… I started to enjoy it… the longer I kept going, the higher my pleasure came from committing such heinous acts… It's too much for me… It's… It's…"

Aria slowly began to weep, finally letting her story flow out of her mouth. A soft cloth soon brushed across her face and she looked up to see Minato brushing her eye with a blue handkerchief. "So… you desire judgment from me?"

Aria shook her head. "Not only do I want judgment, but I also want you to sentence my family as well as the guards." She requested.

"And what makes you think I am able to do that?" Minato asked, leaning forward once more.

"You are a certain someone's brother, if I remember you telling me once correctly. If you do not accept, I will not fault you. But if you do, you know where I live." Aria stated, slowly standing up and walking off to the door she had entered from. Her steps were muffled by the blue carpet as she trekked across. But as she got to the door, she turned her head to face him one last time. "Farewell, Mister Minato."

"Until we meet again, Miss Aria." Minato bowed his head as the blonde closed the door.

Bringing his head back up, he shuffled the tarot deck once more. With another wave of his hand, a few cards spread out in front of him in a circular motion. Turning his hand, one card flipped over to show XVI and a tower being struck by lightning. "Hm... The Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. A terrible catastrophe is imminent, but to who?"

He paused to think about it, but decided to continue on. "The card indicating the future beyond that is…" With another wave of his hand, the second card flipped over to reveal XIII with a skull in front of an ominous looking door. "Death in the upright position, this symbolizes metamorphosis and deep change, regeneration and cycles. Death isn't the end, as shown in the tarot deck, but it instead changes life at that point… But what change will come?"

With one final wave of his hand, the final card turned over. Staring at it for a long time, Minato finally nodded his head and stood up. Walking up to the podium behind him, he grabbed a book that sat next to the golden gavel and snapped his fingers. All of the cards soon began to fly around and land into the book before he snapped it closed.

But the card he flipped last couldn't go in because he had caught it. Walking towards the left side of the room with the white half of the face, he looked at the card once more and stepped into the room.

The card read VIII Justice.

 **PXA**

Among the rooftops, Minato ran along the upper part of housing while making his way to Aria's mansion. He arrived quicker than expected as he witnessed several guards patrolling the ground of the grand house. Normally he wouldn't be partaking in such an event such as assassination, but the cards had deemed it so.

Originally, he would obviously be found out about if he had gone in his usual attire. Of course he would be wearing a disguise. Instead of his black and white attire, it was lighter. White pants, boots, gloves, and sleeves were on the limbs of his apparel, the area around his crotch and the main body of his shirt was light blue. A red scarf was worn around his neck and mouth. His hair was as white as snow with a grey metal headband, with his bangs covering the right half of his face which was behind a metal mask. To complete the look, there was a small metal lyre on his back.

Reaching behind his back, he took the instrument and was about to strum it but then there was a commotion among the guards. Most of them ran inside and some around the side of the mansion. Curious to what was happening he leapt down off of the roof. Landing on the ground, he ran into the giant house and began his search.

It didn't take long before he ran into a group of guards. Reaching for the lyre once more, he grabbed it and slammed the frame of the instrument into one of the guard's heads. The strength behind the force not only slammed the body into the wall, but also crushed the flesh. With a guard lying dead on the ground, Minato pointed towards an area between a couple of other guards feet.

A blast of fire exploded from that area, igniting the men and had them scream in pain. To silence them, he simply gestured up this time and an even larger explosion of fire went off. A final guard swung his blade as Minato's back was facing him. But the disguise seemed to fade off of the boy as the image of what he looked like before now took form as some sort of mechanical looking being.

"Orpheus." Minato whispered. With a mental command, the floating being blocked the attack with its arm before batting the sword away. Before the guard could recover, the being grabbed the lyre and went for an overhead strike. But the strings connected with the top of the head, causing the body part to be split apart and having the guard fall over with death taking its toll.

The being soon floated back towards Minato and their bodies connected. Soon, the two of them began to merge, with the boy wearing his disguise soon enough. Continuing his search, he came across a hallway that was full of completely slaughtered guards. It looks like he wasn't the only one after them. But it was still Aria's wish that he would judge her, and he shall do his best to fulfill that.

"Huh? Who are you?"

Hearing the voice, Minato slowly turned around and saw a rather busty blonde haired woman with quite the revealing outfit. But what made her look really unique were a pair of lion ears and a tail that were on her person. Not to mention the animalistic looking hands.

Perhaps that was the effect of a Teigu, an Imperial Arm. Should he answer her? Would that accomplish anything? Would she strike if he ignored her? Would she see him as a threat? Minato stood silently as he thought about what to do. But then he remembered what he was here to do and decided to ignore the woman.

Ignoring the blonde's voice, he observed what was outside thanks to a window out of the corner of his eye. There, he could see several guards being slaughtered by someone he recognized. No, they weren't familiar with him as he wasn't familiar with her. It was Akame of Night Raid, an assassin of a group that belonged to the Revolutionary Army. The army that was fighting against this corrupt Empire.

Looking slightly up around the window, he saw a guard dragging away a blonde girl who he definitely recognized and was familiar with. Aira. But Minato was interrupted as he felt a fist collide with his face. Flying down the hall, he regained his footing. Looking back forward, he saw that the woman had punched him right in the face.

"Hey now, isn't it rude to ignore a woman, much less someone who is talking to you?" The woman asked in a hurt manner. But clearly she was making fun of it.

Then again, she did make a point.

"I apologize." Minato said, his voice being disguised behind his metal mask. He then bowed formally to make sure that it could buy him time to not get punched again. "As to answer your question from before, I'm afraid I can only give my name to those who have found me and established a contract." He coolly continued. "Now, may I ask you to introduce yourself?"

"Well I'm afraid that I can only give my name to those who buy me a drink." The woman grinned, seeming to be proud of her response. "So what are you doing here anyways?"

"As I suspect to why you are here, to see what fate shall be given to those that live in this household." He answered, before turning around. "I apologize, but I must cut our conversation short." Gesturing, an explosion erupted right in front of Leone. Such an attack blinded her as she was forced to cover her eyes.

Taking advantage of the woman being stunned, Minato leapt out from the window and dropped down into some shrubs that were below. Deciding to become something most appropriate of the situation, his disguise faded away. Now in his old uniform, he patted himself down to make sure everything was on him. When he felt his back, he felt the book strapped on. Placing a hand on it, he drew a certain card from it.

"Thanatos." He whispered, crushing the card. Black decided to consume him. The only things that pretty much colored him were long white gloves and boots, with a golden buckle that held up what seemed to be a slitted, thigh high skirt. His head was covered in a metallic, almost beak like armor with two pitch black holes that looked like eyes and a hinge locate at the jaw. In his hand was a massive, hiltless, single edged sword with serrations near the handle with a black sheathe with a golden tip was strapped to his waist. But what would really make him stand out would be the cape he wore, held up by a series of chairs was a series of coffins decorated by a figure holding a sword over their body. Each death box simply floated behind him.

Standing up fully, he saw that every guard had been slaughtered. Walking out of his hiding place, he had caught Night Raid's attention. Looking down at the bodies again before looking at the assassins, he remembered once again that Aria was nearby and began to walk away while sheathing the large sword in his hand.

"Hey!" One of the members shouted, particular a pink haired girl with two pig-tails.

Minato stopped in his tracks and looked over to them. He didn't respond as he simply waited for them to talk. But he would allow little time as he still had a wish to fulfill. But the silence seemed to irk the girl even further. "Don't you know who we are?! And who the hell are you?" the girl asked, pointing her finger at him.

Immediately understanding what was going to be a complete waste of time at the moment, he continued to walk away once more. "H-hey! Come back here!" The girl shouted at him. But she was then held back by a slight acquainted blonde.

"Hold on there, Mine." The woman stated.

"What? This guy just screams suspicion, Leone! How can we not ignore him!?" The girl now known as Mine shouted out.

"He didn't even bother to try and attack me, despite creating an explosion right in front of me." The woman dubbed Leone explained as Minato continued to walk away. "Besides, he must be here for a certain reason. Let's not interfere and see where it goes."

Minto continued to walk through the woods but soon found who he was looking for thanks to a short walk. He made his presence known easily as his appearance was pretty easy to spot despite the dark night matching his own dark outfit.

A guard who was next to Aria soon shouted with a battle cry as he ran forward while spraying bullet from a gun in one hand. Turning around, Minato allowed the coffins to act as a shield against the firing. But he turned around and grabbed the guard by the throat as the attacker had stopped pulling the trigger and was about to use a sword.

Gripping the guard tightly, Minato took a deep breath in a exhaled loudly though his mouth. A purple gas slowly poured out. The guard did his best not to breath in, but he already did before realizing what could potentially be coming out of the scary being's mouth. Watching the body spasm, Minato soon grabbed the guard's shirt. Rearing his head back, he slammed it against the guard's and broke their skull before tossing the male towards a tree which caused their head to be crushed on impact.

Looking over towards Aria, he let out a single word. It sounded like a hiss and a growl, but Aria heard it perfectly well. "Judgment." Behind it all, there was a familiar voice. Aria was shocked to see Minato in such an outfit. She was a bit scared, but it was all downed by satisfaction as the boy took steps closer and closer to her.

"Stop, damn it!" A voice shouted. Minato soon heard a blade move through the air. Immediately, he spun around and the coffins hit a boy about Aria's age. The young man skidded on the ground, but quickly got back up and protectively stood in front of the girl.

Minato's eyes were able to be seen, but it was clear what it said in his body language. Move. "There's no way I'm letting her die in the hand of someone like you!" The boy shouted as he ran forward to try and protect Aria.

"Tatsumi, wait!" Aria shouted.

But the fight was over as soon as it started. Minato simply drew his blade out quickly and with a lot of strength batted the boy's weapon away. "Wha-?!" The boy yelled out in surprise before being punched straight in the chest.

A shattering noise was made as the known Tatsumi was sent flying back. Tatsumi landed on the ground and was only his back while remaining motionless. By the sounds of it, it seemed like the boy was seriously injured and suffered rib damage. Tatsumi stayed dead silent for a while.

Minato meanwhile looked down towards the hand that had punched Tatsumi. He flexed it a couple of times before looking directly at the boy. He continued to stand in place while the boy continued to lie down. Soon enough, the boy grunted and got back up to his feet. "You won't even let your guard down and approach me?" Tatsumi asked.

"My hand felt like it punched something other than your body." Minato answered simply.

Tatsumi reached into his shirt in response, pulling out some carving that was shattered. "Everyone from the village protected me." Tatsumi slightly grinned, holding it out.

"Tatsumi…" Aria soon placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Stop it…"

"It's alright, Aria, I can beat him." Tatsumi tried to assure the girl.

"You sure you want to do that?"

A new person entered the conversation, which turned out to be accompanied by Akame. "Ah, you the boob!" Tatsumi exclaimed, pointing directly towards Leone.

"Yep, the beautiful sister from that time." Leone waved cheerfully, but soon stopped doing such. "You lad, you think you're protecting an innocent girl. But-"

"Can you call me such after seeing this?" Aria cut Leone off, showing a key in her hand. Walking towards a small locked shack that was a couple of meters away, Aria undid the lock and opened the door. "Please look at what you were trying to protect."

Bodies.

"If there was one word that could describe the whole roo, it was bodies, the whole room was filled with corpses, blood, and gore everywhere. Heads had eyeballs removed from their sockets, but still were connected and hanging. Bodies were torn open, with ribs sticking out, hearts punctured, intestines wrapped around a person's neck to choke them. Legs were twisted, torn apart, punctured with so many holes, The appendages were torn apart, and placed on somewhere it shouldn't be. Some corpses simply hung on the ceiling, with spike rammed into their stomachs.

The sight fo this was like a nightmare. A nightmare so horrible that it made you feel like you were in it.

But this wasn't a nightmare. It was reality. A reality that took a form of hell itself.

"What… what is this?!" Tatsumi shouted in horror, his face paling on what he was seeing.

"This… is the true Capital." Aria slowly answered, getting confused looks from the Night Raid members. "My family… we lured in people from the countryside… with our disgusting sweet words and promises… and we subjected them all to a torture and toyed with them until they died… That is the true nature of this household…"

Tatsumi didn't really hear her as he was completely horrified. But what he saw right in front of him surprised and scared him even further. "S-sayo…?" The boy uttered, seeing a body that was familiar to him.

"Tatsumi…? Tatsumi, is that you!?" A new voice shouted out the name. Tatsumi's eyes widened and stiffly turned towards the source of the voice. His eyes widened more on what he saw. It was a bloody victim that was horribly scarred and behind bars. He reached out with an intense look on his face.

"I…Ieyasu!?" tatsumi shouted out in shock and horror. The nictim known as Ieyasu just looked at Tatsumi with tears leaking out of his eyes.

"That girl… that girl tortured Sayo to death! She brutally tortured her! Right in front of my eyes!" Ieyasu shouted in pain and anguish.

Aria at this point practically fell to her knees and cried loudly. "Yes, it's completely my fault! I've done this! I've done a lot of what you see right in front of you! I've agonized that girl for so long and so hard! And because of what!? Because of how straight her hair was!" Aria soon began crawling towards Minato.

Leone and Akame tried to stop her, but Minato took a step forward and ended up right in front of Aria. "Please…" Aria whispered. "After all that you have witnessed, how do you charge me?" She looked up towards the strange helmet, where she could really see Minato's eyes.

"…Guilty." He hissed as one of his coffins fell onto the ground. Turning it around with his arm, the death box opened up on its own as if it had a will. Extending a hand, he waited as Aria raised her own and placed it on. Being brought up, she was led into the coffin.

Turning around so she would be facing Minato one last time she whispered three numbers. "Sixteen, thirteen, zero. It is the code to the safe in my parent's room. There awaits my family's fortune; your payment."

Minato only nodded as he closed the coffin door. But stopped when Aria had a couple more final words. "Mister Minato…" Those words were so quiet even Akame or Leone couldn't hear them. But the fortune-teller heard perfectly and stopped just an inch before the doors were closed. Inside, Aria smiled as she shed a single tear. "Thank you."

He slowly nodded his head as he fully closed the coffin and it locked. Drawing his blade again, he brought his arm back fully before slashing the boy with great strength. But it didn't even affect the box. Turning around to face Night Raid and Tatsumi, the coffin began to float once more along with the other ones.

A brief period of silence was between the four of them. None of them said a word or made a sound. Minato then shook his and began to walk through the forest and out of their sight.

Akame was about to move and follow, but Leone grabbed her by the collar and shook her head. "Don't. I don't think that that is the best idea. Besides, mission accomplished." Leone commented, looking over to Tatsumi. "Now, what to do about you…"

 **PXA**

Minato emerged from the left door still in his 'Thanatos' disguise as he had made it back to the Velvet Room alone and not followed. The coffin that held Aria opened as Minato gently took her into his arms in a bridal hold. The outfit disintegrated, now being presented in his own uniform.

Slowly, he walked towards the door on the right that had the black half of the face on it. The door opened on its own. As he entered and the door shut on its own, he saw a pile off sticks under a bed that looked extremely soft. As if she were sleeping, Minato placed Aria on the mattress gently and carefully.

Taking the book that was on his back in his hand, he brought out a card with a 0 at the bottom of it. "Orpheus." He whispered, bringing the being back into existence. The figure knew what it was meant to do, and pointed towards the sticks that were under the bed.

A small fire burst out and began to burn the sticks. Smoke began to slowly fill the room, but left just as quickly through a chimney that was installed in the room. As the fire burned Minato just watched as the fire crept closer and closer to Aria's body. There, he continued to wait until the fire had burned everything it need to.

How long had it been? Seconds? Minutes? Hours?

Who knew how much time had passed, but the fire had reach Aria's body long ago and was finished burning it. Opening the book that was in his hand, several cards flew out and danced around the room. Picking up wind this way, the cards continued to spin around the room. Eventually, the ash from the fire lifted from the ground and flew out of the chimney.

Minato then continued to stand in place and wait until the cards came back to him and formed a deck in his hand. Turning around, the door opened and he walked through and closed the barrier behind him. Walking back to the table, he set the book and deck of cards down and sat in a chair. He then closed his eyes and thought about some of Aria's final words.

"Sixteen, thirteen, zero…" He muttered to himself. Waving his hand, said cards flew out and he stared at each an everyone of them. Sixteen was XVI, the Tower. Thirteen was XIII, Death. But 0 was a new one, the Fool instead of VIII Justice. The new card interested Minato the most.

"The number zero on the fool represents a new beginning. But for who though? Could it be for that Tatsumi child? Or… could it be for me?" Minato asked himself, staring at the three cards that were in front of his face. Staring for a long time, he finally gestured the cards back into the deck as the door in front of him began to open.

He stood up and bowed formally and greeted his new guest.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

 **No flames please.**

 **Please review so I know what you guys think.**

 **If you have any questions, feel free to ask.**

 **Props to you guys if you figured out how I tried to design the Velvet Room.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own the Persona series or Akame ga Kill. Everything belongs to their respected owners.**

"Velvet~ Oh, velvet~ The future is unclear~. Velvet~ Oh, velvet~ Yet death always lurks near~."

Minato sang to himself softly and slowly as he sat along a tree line near a dirt road under falling drop of snow. His blue hair was covered as if dandruff had piled on within days and he had not watched his hygiene in the slightest. Despite being in his regular uniform, he was not affected by the cold. He had spent far too long in such an environment to be affected by such temperatures.

His back rested against the trunk of a brown tree covered with snow and ice. Despite the cold, he felt familiar warmth even though the element was a completely opposite temperature. Reaching his arm over to his backside, he grabbed his book and opened it up to reveal nothing but blank pages. A tarot card popped out of the white paper however and dance right in front of his eyes. The object danced in front of his eyes despite his gaze.

It was portrayed as an ominous got head surrounded by red and a pentagram over two figures in black with horns staring each other down. The card was XV, the Devil. Connected to such a negative entity, this card represented the urge to do selfish, impulsive, violent things, and being a slave to ones' own impulse and feelings. Occasionally, it was also portrayed as a symbol of temptation.

But that's not what he felt at all. Minato felt his face morph into wonder as this was him reading his own fortune of what will happen in the future. Granted the cards did not always literally mean what they meant right away. Sometimes it could be days, months, even years later. No one knew when such a thing would happen.

Back to wondering, there was actually another meaning to the Devil in a positive aspect. Even though the name was represented as a demonic being, it also showed itself as either a healthy bond or commitment. This was the aspect that caught Minato's attention.

Sending the card back down into the book, the boy closed it before opening the pages again to see what would come out next. The image that was presented to him was a woman standing proudly in place as a crown sat upon their head. Surrounding them were vines that grew vast and wide. "Celebrate life's grandeur… its brilliance… its magnificence… the Empress." He muttered to himself as he saw the III card.

Before he could indulge himself on the card any further, he saw a carriage slowly move on its four wheels thanks to an ox puling it. The driver of the carriage was dressed as a guard while several other people looked exactly alike behind the giant wheeled box. They all moved at a comfortable yet fast pace.

Taking a deep breath in and out, Minato looked back to the path the carriage had passed to look at the poor village it had gone though. A nation is said to be made up of its people, and the state of that area was in complete pain. Near however was the Capital, a place which was nothing more than a nest of vipers. In truth he wanted to raise his hand against the Empire, but there were a couple of reason to why he did not.

Looking ahead of the path, he noticed three people standing in the way of the carriage. Judging by the way the three were dressed, they looked like they belonged to the Empire. The one on the right carried himself in a professional manner with a large mustache under his nose. The person in the middle was the shortest, but had the smile of a devilish imp while also looking he part with a tail. The final to the left wore his Empire's uniform unbuttoned and carried a giant double-bladed battle axe and looked to be the largest due to muscle size.

Standing up slowly, Minato slid the book under the strap on his backside under his uniform. As his hand slid away however, a card slipped out of the cover and stay connected to his palm. Looking at the image, he saw a figure in armor on a chariot, being pulled by two differently colored horses. He was told to protect, and he shall fulfill that request to the extent of his abilities.

"Athena." He stated as he shattered the card in his bare hands. White robes of a toga slowly enshrouded him with a sense of holy grace lingering. A grand helmet of gold with red plumes inside a crest holder sat on his head and over his eyes. Despite his vision being blocked, he could see clear as day through the shiny light barrier. Light golden chainmail created a holy cloak that shrouded his shoulders and up to his elbows, but still would be unable to interfere with combat. In his hand was a giant spear that matched the color of his helmet, but looked as sturdy as the hardest of metals. But what stood out completely was the giant shield floating in front of his body which floated and was connected by a giant thick ring surrounding him.

The gold cloak clinked as he slowly rolled his shoulders back. The grand weapon was in his hand as he waited for the two opposing parties to make a move. The carriage was forced to stop in the middle of the path thanks to the three that represented the Empire. The door to the wheeled box opened and a young woman with long blonde hair stepped out to face those that obstructed the path. The female wore a winter coat and a large hat with a symbol made up of eight red diamond shapes arranged in a circle.

It seemed like she had slight experience in combat as well as leadership as most of the men in uniform that stood next to the carriage didn't move an inch until the woman told them to. Numbers, however, meant very little depending on who the opponent was. The three Empire officers continued to stand in their spots unfazed at the small group that was pointing their weapons at them.

With a quick battle cry, the woman and the soldiers all charged at the same time towards the three obstructers. But the big Empire member merely tightened the grip of his weapon with anticipation. A grin grew on the man's face as he did nothing to change his stance before readying to swing the axe.

Before the attack could be fully performed or before the small group could make contact, a giant pale blue spear embedded itself into the ground between the two opposing parties. The impact of the weapon was so powerful however that it forced the small group led by the woman to be thrown back while the three Empire officers had to at least shift their stances lower to not lose balance while covering their eyes.

Minato suddenly shot through the small gap between the tree line and the path extremely quickly as soon as he threw his weapon. Wrapping his hand around the spear, he twisted his body and would have hit the three men if they didn't leap back to avoid the slash. The poled blade rested coolly in his palm as he displayed such emotion. Only his breath could be heard within the two parties' ears.

No one knew what to say. No one knew how to feel. No one knew how to react to such a majestic sight. Not to mention that this person suddenly came out of nowhere and interfered. "You, explain yourself! Reveal your identity!" The woman shouted, pointing her weapon at his back as he wasn't facing her at all and continued to do so.

"…Spear, daughter of the former Prime Minister, it is an honor to make your acquaintance. I do apologize as we could have met under better circumstance. But I was told to remain hidden until protection was necessary." Minato apologized while turning around to gracefully and formally bow.

Hearing footsteps approach, he spun around to see the man with the giant axe try to chop him right in half. The blow would have been successful if he didn't use his spear to block the attack. "May I know you name, sir?"

"The name's Daidara!" The man grinned; apparently pleased that someone is standing up to him. He tried to apply more pressure into his weight of attack. But the result made him happier as it hardly affected the figure before him. "You're good, I'll give you that! But remember that I'm not alone!"

Minato didn't even bother to respond as he pushed Daidara off and grabbed the man's face with his spare hand. While doing that, he stepped forward and slammed the shield into the smaller man's face who tried to attempt a sneak attack. Bending his knees, Minato then shot forward and rammed right through towards the mustached-male. Landing each blow successfully, he leapt back to stand in front of Spear and her fallen group once more.

But then the helmeted head seemed to lean forward as if in an attempt to look at something. Through Minato's eyes, he could see one symbol that looked familiar on the collar of each Empire officer. A soft sound of music then entered his ears to break him out of scanning the opponents' outfits. The smaller male seemed to be playing a recorder of some kind that made that tune. A creepy smile put itself up on display on the male's mouth as his companions rushed forward to strike.

This left Minato slightly confused due to wondering if the music that was being played was supposed to do anything. Swinging his spear, the weapon was batted out of the way by the great axe. Releasing his grip and watching the weapon turn around; Minato grabbed the pole once more and used the stick part of the spear to whack the ear of the axe wielder. Making an arc with his arm, the pole went up into the air and around to strike the second male along his own ear. As a final bit of the combo, Minato threw his weapon and it struck the man playing the recorder right in his leg.

Walking slowly up to the man with the mustache, Minato used his shield to bash the male to the location of the smallest member while a giant fist punched the axe wielder to the same location. He stepped forward slowly towards them. The trip was a lot longer than it should have been. This was because of Minato being deep in thought about those symbols on their collars.

Standing in front of the three of them, he grabbed his spear and yanked it out of the small male's leg. Flicking it to the side quickly to clean it of blood, he pointed the tip at them. "Who is it that you serve under?" He asked with a tone that demanded the truth.

The mustached male glared defiantly towards the helmeted person. "And why should we answer your question?" The man asked, his body tensing to make a move if the grand figure let their guard down even just by the slightest. But the spear did not waver from his gaze. It hovered mercilessly in front of his face, ready to kill without a second thought. "Very well, very well, not that it is going to do you any good. It is the great General of the Capital, the strongest in the Empire, General Esdeath!"

If that was supposed to scare Minato, his features were hidden and were unrevealed under his helmet. "Is that so?" He asked. Perhaps this was the moment the Devil indicated. It was good that he read the cards before this event occurred. He then lifted his weapon, but still kept it pointed at them. "Leave."

It sounded more like a command rather than a request. But the authority that came from the tone caused the three of them to walk away. The smallest had to be carried away by the larger man however. But the three of them still were out of sight after a long time.

Turning around, Minato saw that a spear and a variety of weapons were still trained on him. It looked like they still didn't trust him after all of that in the end. Not that it mattered. "Answer me! Who are you?!" Spear repeated herself. She tried to stand strong, but shook slightly after the display of power of taking down three Empire officers with what seemed to be not much effort.

"I am simply one who made a contract with another that is concerned about you and your father." Minato answered calmly while holding his hand up to assure them that he was not the enemy. He didn't like it when weapons were pointed at him.

At this point, Spear looked like she realized that she was not going to get the answers she was looking for. Well, at least it was confirmed that she wasn't going to die today. Sighing with relief, she quickly stepped towards the carriage. "Father, are you alright?" The blonde asked with concern.

"Yes, I am quite fine." An old voice answered while stepping out to see who had come to their aid. The image of an old man entered Minato's view and easily recognized him as the former Prime Minister.

"Greetings, sir." Minato bowed formally once more. "I have come to aid in your protection until you have reached your destination." He then stood up once more to see the surprised look on the man's face due to such a blunt way of getting to the point.

"Ah… I see." The former Prime Minister said slowly. "Thank you for your aid. If I may ask, who sent you?" He then waited for a long time. A long period of silence fell between all of them. Minato remained unmoving. It was at this point that all of them realized that he wouldn't tell them. Sighing, the old man shook his head. "I see you are one to get straight to the point in a vague way. Very well, let us be on our way."

Minato answered with a silent nod while watching the former Prime Minister and his daughter climb back into the carriage. The guards however kept a wary eye on him. But that did not stop the fortune-teller from leading the carriage to their destination in the Capital. Little did the carriage riders and guards know of what would happen to them in the first place once they would arrive.

The Prime Minister was doing his best to get rid of the competition after all.

 **PXA**

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

Minato greeted his guest in an honorable way. Walking down the blue carpet was a woman of young age, perhaps even just out of teenage years. She was tall, beautiful, and slender. Her long light blue hair matched her eyes color as she was in militaristic apparel with long sleeves, a blue scarf on her neck, and high-heeled boots.

"This place may see between dream and reality, mind and matter." He continued, slightly taken aback at the appearance of the woman who had entered his establishment. It was who those three officers had told him about General Esdeath. "Now, I believe there is no need to introduce yourself." If he remembered correctly, she was supposed to be in the North settling a rebellion. Maybe she had dominated a lot faster than many anticipated. Not much of a surprise on his part.

The woman right in front of him smiled. "You're right, there is no need to." She took a seat in front of him and he did the same. Esdeath watched as Minato began to shuffle the cards by hand. Her eyes gleamed with interest as his fingers danced to the silent song with much practice. "The question I have is will you walk with me around the Capital?"

The male stopped shuffling his cards and looked directly into the woman's eyes. One thing was clear as soon as he looked into her eyes. She was not going to take no as an answer. Maybe he shouldn't have taken up this contract business with his fortune telling. At least Aria incorporated some card reading into her request rather than getting straight to the point instead of waiting for a reading.

He sighed, but nodded his head. The General seemed to be pleased with such an answer. Standing up from her chair, she turned around and walked towards the door she had just entered from. Looking back to see the male, a small smirk grew on her face when she didn't see him still sitting. He had exited the room without a sound.

 **PXA**

The blue-haired duo walked down the main streets of the Capital. Minato did his best to act relaxed and completely nonchalant, but his will was slowly diminishing down as he received many glances from the people he passed. He couldn't' blame them. It was rare that the General Esdeath herself would be accompanied by someone out of the Empire's uniform. The situation did not help as many constantly bowed to her in respect as she greeted them.

The two of them soon arrived to a small shop that where a short merchant that looked like the owner of a building they were in front of was bowing with a nervous expression on his face. Esdeath however kept a friendly smile on as she tried to calm the man down. "You can relax; I'm just making a few courtesy calls. From now on, I'm in charge of policing the Capital." She let the owner know.

"Y-yes! That is most heartening, General Esdeath!" The owner exclaimed. Minato continued to watch from behind as the merchant reached into his sleeves and pulled out several coins and looked up to the woman with a hopeful expression. "Thi…this is just a…"

Minato shook his head. That was a bad move. One, he was bribing a high ranked member of the military. Second, he was bribing the strongest woman in the Empire. Three, Esdeath never needed money as Minato knew that she made more than enough thanks to the generous rewards.

Not to his surprise, Esdeath took the money… and shoved it into the owner's eyes. "I don't need bribes." She stated, still with a smile on her face with a friendly tone no less. "Next time you try that, I'll make it hurt." Her two finger were on a single coin each. One piece of metal for one eye each.

"I believe that hurts enough as it is." Minato voiced out, getting a glance from the General. Meanwhile, the owner was screaming in pain.

Shrugging her shoulders, Esdeath stopped her small violent act and sat down on a bench in front of the store they were visiting. That smile of hers never lifted off her face. Minato took an invisible and unvoiced invitation as he took a seat next to the woman and under an umbrella. "Shall I try some of your confections? This shop's famous, isn't it? He'll have every flavor you have inside a single bowl if possible. " She gestured to the male next to her to let the owner knew who she was talking about.

"Y-yes!" The owner exclaimed and rushed into his shop. "Right away!"

Minato soon closed his eyes in a tired manner and began to play the waiting game. He felt something that had been tailing for ever since the two of them started their little trip together around the Capital. The presence of an assassin lingered near. He loosened his muscles as he felt the hidden person approach closer and closer.

Suddenly, they stopped in place. What could have come over them? Hesitation? Fear? Patience of an opportunity to strike? Maybe a stakeout to observe? Whatever it was, it was most likely the first two along his mental list. "Your awaited orders, miss." A voice came from his right side.

Looking over with open eyes, he saw Esdeath take a small cone while a moderately sized bowl with a mountain of ice cream with a spoon was seen in his eyes. Taking her portion in one hand, the General took the other serving and handed it to the blue-haired male. While all of this happened, he could feel something radiate off of Esdeath even stronger than before.

It was evil. It was full of murderous intent.

So this is what made the assassin hesitate. He could not blame them. Soon enough, the presence began to flee away from the two of them. "Hm?" Esdeath hummed with interest as she looked up to the roofs. "That presence disappeared…" She then sighed in disappointment. "So they didn't take the bait… pity. I wanted to try some new torture techniques."

"You never cease to amaze me on how many techniques come into your thoughts." Minato commented as he was already digging into his frozen treat. Scooping a bit of his ice cream into his spoon, he pointed the portion towards the General without even looking. Feeling a gentle tug, he brought the now empty spoon back in front of him and continued to eat.

"This is… delicious." Esdeath said slowly, clearly impressed at the flavor.

"So what is the occasion?" Minato asked, already a quarter of the way done with his dessert. "This isn't just about your victory in the North, is it? There's something more to this visit." He continued, not bothering to look away from the ice cream once more.

"I have been assigned to take care of some assassins known as Night Raid. But as each of those assassins have been known to wield Teigu, I requested a group of Teigu users to aid me in erasing them." Esdeath started before looking over towards Minato. "I want you to join me."

Ah, so that was the issue. Minato was hardly surprised with the reveal as soon as she explained her situation. Sighing, he looked directly at her for the first time after beginning to eat his ice cream. "No." He bluntly put his answer.

"But stepping into my group has many benefits." Esdeath began, looking over towards the male herself. "One of the benefits is that you do not have to live by yourself anymore. You may be under my supervision at all times. We can be close. You do not have to live among the weak society that inhabits the Capital. There are many things that you will gain from by taking up my offer."

"Counter points." Minato replied back, taking the time to shove some more ice cream into his mouth before answering. "First, I do not mind living by myself. If you are worried about the amount of money I have, I have enough to live a content life thanks to payments and donations from you. Second, I thank you for worrying about me but I am a grown man. Third, I do not mind living down around with the people. It's a very nice experience." He listed his reasoning. But it came extremely slow as each sentence had to come after a mouthful of the frozen treat.

"The weak perish while the strong survive." Esdeath stated harshly, trying to do her best to convince Minato to join her. "If you continue to live among the weak, you yourself shall grow up to become such. You don't want that to happen to you, do you?" She questioned, taking a lick of her own frozen treat.

"Memento Mori." Minato replied, earning a disapproving look from the General. He ignored it as he began to continue talking as the woman hadn't spoken yet right after his answer. "Remember that-"

"-You are mortal. Remember you will die. No matter what choices you may make, only death awaits in the end." Esdeath cut him off, as if she knew the lines. "We may not know how we die, but Death constantly watches over us, waiting for any opportune moment to seize us away." This time, the woman sighed. "I hate it whenever you use that against me."

"You hate the truth then." Minato stated, already finished his treat. He placed the bowl next to him. "However, I suppose I could give it some thought if you truly do want me to join." He simply stared at her blandly.

A small smile grew on her face in response to his offer. "It would be most certainly kind of you to." She answered. "sadly, I believe it is time for us to part now." Standing up, she adjusted the cap on her head before facing the male. The man stared back at her before bowing formally in respect, which she deserved as a General of the Empire's army. She then began to walk away, but not before exchanging parting words with Minato.

"See you soon, Brother."

"Until we meet again, Sister."

 **For the guest asking why Minato couldn't just take down Honest and Esdeath… this is pretty much the reason. As soon thought about doing a Persona/Akame ga Kill crossover, the image of Minato's blue hair with Esdeath's blue hair came into mind. Soon enough, 'bam', they are siblings.**

 **Please review so I know what you guys think.**

 **If you have any questions, feel free to ask.**

 **No flames please.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own the Persona series or Akame ga Kill. Everything belongs to their respected owners.**

 _Winds roared like an angry voice with snow blowing around at its mercy._

 _Among the rocks were dead plants that were too weak against the cold environment. The snow on the ground was trampled by many footprints from many Danger Beasts that roamed and lived in the frozen area. Speaking of Danger beasts, some were actually around a certain point._

 _The muffled thundering of their feet could be heard if one was close enough. There were three of the monsters that looked like a dinosaur of sorts. The one at the front could be considered the leader due to the two behind it always following. All of them stopped in their tracks for a couple of seconds. They could feel something watching them._

 _Turning their heads, not a single being was in sight. Despite this, the three beasts still had a bad feeling. Deciding not to stick around, they continued to run along the snow. They were the usual predators due to their build and sharp teeth. Many prey scattered in their mere presence. However, that didn't' mean that they were at the top of the food chain and guaranteed to live. There were much fiercer Danger Beasts._

 _But just as they started to run again, they didn't notice up along a small ledge a young girl crouched like a predator in wait. She had light blue hair and similar colored clothing that a special tribe that lived around the area wore. The girl quickly put strength into her legs while holding a knife._

 _Jumping off the small cliff, she landed on the back of the closest Danger Beast. Before the monster knew what was happening, she touched the blade along its throat and cut the flesh. It was a quick and simple kill as blood poured out of the sneaky attack. The beast couldn't even fight back as it choked on its own blood while falling to the ground. Not a single look of fear or hesitation was in her eyes. A deadly frown and cold look was all one could receive from their end of such a sight._

 _The other two Danger beasts however saw their fallen kind and roared in anger. They turned around and were about to attack. But then a small bulge of snow among the ground behind the Danger Beasts shook before bursting open._

 _Coming from the white powder was a boy that looked a bit younger than the girl. His hair was dark blue and wore clothing similar to the opposite gender as well. The only difference was that it was male clothing rather than female. There was a small knife in his hand as well as he grabbed onto the back of the second lizard beast. Plunging his weapon into the body below the heart of the monster, the boy pulled back with force to completely rip through the organs and flesh that supported his prey._

 _With such a violent attack, the lizard had no chance of surviving. The leader of the pack didn't both to roar as it immediately snapped towards the young boy in hope of devouring it opponent. The young man proved to be much swifter than expected however as he stepped back to avoid a pair of sharp teeth. A loud snap came from the jaws connecting._

 _To retaliate against such an attack the boy wrapped an arm right around the mouth, preventing the lizard from opening for another bite. Moving the arm that was holding the mouth down, he rammed his other arm up into the throat of the monster with great strength. Not a single second passed as the girl came in once again and kicked the back of the neck. The snap of a bone quietly ran in both of the human's ears as they both broke the neck of the third Danger Beast._

 _ **PXA**_

 _The sound of snow being pushed aside was all could be heard along the trip back to their destination._

 _The three slain Danger Beasts were all on their own separate brown sleds and were pulled along the white powder. A rope was wrapped around the toboggans as the girl and boy each pulled one in on arm and the third with their free arms. The boy's rope however was shorter as he purposely wrapped the tether around his hand. He was slightly lagging behind the girl, but still kept up with her pace easily._

" _Father, we're back!" The boy called out in a soft and bland tone._

" _We caught some prey!" The girl added._

 _They approached several tents with pots at the back of the thick sheets. Among the small homes, there was a small gathering of people crowding a man with light blue hair and a headband. It appeared that he had heard the sound of the two children as he turned around. Seeing what they were dragging around, an impressed look came up on his face._

" _Yeah, you guys did well." The man nodded his head to confirm his words. "That's a pretty considerable feat for your age!" He added before turning back to the reason why there was a crowd around him. "But I'm more amazing! Cause I captured a Great Lizard!"_

 _Dropping the rope that they were holding, both kids curiously walked over to what the older man was talking about. Sure enough, a large beast with green skin was still alive yet bound by some pretty strong binds. It breathed heavily as it could not do a single thing at all. "Huh…" Was all the boy could voice out._

 _His reaction was the complete opposite compared to the female's. "Oh!" Was the sound the girl made with a rather pleasant surprise._

 _The man slowly reached to his hip and drew a knife that was his size and looked similar to the weapon that the boy and girl used. He then bent his knees to reach the level of the tied up monster. "We'll take this apart and remove the materials. Esdeath, Minato, led a hand."_

 _The man gestured the two children to come to where he was. Their feet began to move their bodies around until they were on the same side and level as the man. Both imitated the grip the man as they prepared their weapons. "Okay!" Esdeath nodded her head with an eager look. Minato nodded as well but didn't say a word._

" _This guy's weakened and tied up, so he can't move much." The older man explained, looking over to the two children. An innocent smile was worn on the girl's face and a blank look spread across the boy's. "We'll do this bold and fast. I'll go first."_

 _Plunging his knife into the beast, the father slit the stomach of the monster open and began to dig through the innards. The lizard roared out in pain, but the man managed to ignore it while the children had to cover their ears however. "If we don't take out this Lizard Gem while it's alive, the value goes down." The father explained over the loud cries._

" _What terrible screams, as always." Esdeath complained, but not so whiny. In fact, it seemed to be more of an amusing thing to her._

" _So loud…" Minato added._

" _Well it's painful for it, but it can't be helped." The father shrugged to his kids before looking at the beast that had finally stopped screaming but still lived through the pain. "These guys often attack people and eat them. But this time, we were stronger, so they became the ones who get killed. It's his responsibility for being weaker than me." Continuing to stare at the gem in his hands, he nodded his head before diverting his eyes to the young Esdeath and Minato. "All right, you two, you take out the eyeballs and crest."_

" _Okay." Esdeath answered her father, preparing her weapon with yet another smile. "I'll do it cleanly, just watch. You too, Brother." She looked towards the boy who shrugged his shoulders. It looked like she wanted to do all the work. He was completely fine by that since he lacked a couple years of experience compared to her._

 _As Minato stared at his sister, he began to think about how she was. It wasn't' just that Esdeath was strong, she could also land the killing blow on any prey without hesitation, even if it's weakened or running. She was a natural-born hunter. The boy however continued to watch his sister with a passive look as she enjoyed taking the lizard apart._

 _As Esdeath continued to dissect the Danger Beast, she quickly looked up to see Minato still staring with an intense look yet he seemed out of it at the same time. That didn't surprise her after living with her brother after all of these years. Minato always found a way to go with the flow. If something didn't go his way, he let it be without the slightest bit of anger. He too was also a natural-born hunter._

 _But there were some difference between the two of them_

 _Eat or be eaten._

 _That was the type of environment the two grew up in with their tribe. The Danger Beasts and them was an exchange of lives between the races. The strong one winds, and the weak one perishes._

 _That was the type of code Esdeath lived by as that was what her father believed in. He did not ever drill it into his daughter's skull. That was something he would never do. It was just a fact that he saw and accepted which Esdeath took up herself at such a young age. It was such a wonderful environment for her due to such thoughts._

 _Memento Mori._

 _Remember that you are mortal. Remember you will die. No matter what choices you may make, only death awaits in the end. We may not know how we die, but Death constantly watches over us, waiting for any opportune moment to seize us away._

 _That was the belief Minato took after, something that his and Esdeath's mother believed in. Despite their father's belief, his wife was able to remind everyone in the village to be careful as well this way. With their strength, some other people were a bit arrogant and would underestimate their prey._

 _When the sibling's mother died by an ultra-class Danger Beast, everyone had forgotten the woman's words and continued to live like that. Sure, they remember the woman herself, but that was it. Minato and Esdeath's father did mourn for his wife, but then had to state once more that she died because she was weak._

 _So Minato was the only one among the tribe to keep her belief alive._

 _ **PXA**_

" _Good thing I stuck it out for a few days in the mountains. I was able to catch a rare species of Evilbird."_

 _Esdeath was pleased with herself with such a feat. Pride swelled up inside her while carrying such a large monster. Her smiling face was an obvious indicator._

 _The winds were blowing once more as she trekked along the snow and weaved through the paths of the mountains. Her hair was flying back with her clothing as she grew closer and closer to her home. She could see smoke in the distance, proving that she was almost to her destination. "I'm sure father's going to be happy-"_

 _But her cheerful feeling died out and was replaced by shocking disbelief._

 _The smoke was really fire that was set to the tents of her home. It was ominously black among the pure white setting. Her feet began to pick up speed as she carried herself faster and faster. Her heart beat frantically in hope that something bad didn't happen. But as soon as she arrived, her fears were confirmed._

 _There was crimson-red blood splattered across the angelic-white snow. Tents were torn from fierce battles. Pots were smashed and scattered. Spears had been stabbed through the men as they didn't move and were lying on the ground. Inside the ripped tents were half to fully naked women that were also dead with their severely wounded bodies. Fire had been set to every single home._

 _No matter where Esdeath looked, one of those images would enter her eyes. Her pupils were side with disbelief and shock as she couldn't help but stare while standing in place. "Thi… This is…?" She barely managed to breathe out, still carrying the Danger beast over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Hearing a groan, she immediately threw her prey to the side and rushed over to the source. "Are you okay?!"_

 _As soon as she arrived, a fellow tribe member was struggling to stay alive despite all of his wounds. Knowing that Esdeath wasn't around when such events occurred, he immediately filled her in without hesitation. "Another tribe from the North crossed the border… and attacked is." He quickly informed her before he died. "The chief stood on the front lines an defeated tens of people. But in the end… they ganged up on him."_

" _Wha…" Esdeath wasn't able to even finish her word or even a single breath as she looked up and saw another body in the tent she was in front of. Even more shock filled her body. "Father!"_

 _Laying on the ground was the chief of the tribe with five spears pierced right through his body. Despite his situation and blood all over him, he was still breathing but just barely. "Es… death…" He breathed, but a look of understanding was across his face. "This is nothing… It just means that we, who lost, were weak… Can't be helped." Her dad reached out to his daughter as she slowly watched him die. But with last words, he was just able to let them out in time. "Esdeath… you and your brother… live… strong…"_

 _With final breath, the chief of the tribe died._

 _Still having to process her father and her entire tribe dying, the mention of her brother snapped her head into another thought as she immediately got back to her feet. Thinking about one place where he may be, she ran towards a certain tent. However, the thoughts that were in her head were confirmed._

 _Minato had several spears through his entire body. Not just his chest, but there were poles through his arms and legs as well. He was panting heavily as he lied against the back of the tent. In his arms was a brown book with two triangles. One was upside down while the other was right-side up as they connected to make a star of some kind._

" _Sister…" Minato whispered as soon as the sight of Esdeath came into his view. His normally blank look grew just the slightly of small smiles. "You're safe…"_

" _Brother!" Esdeath shouted as she ran forward into the tent and recognized to book in his hands. It had belonged to their mother. No one really knew that she used it for. But there were two words that were written at the very front of the book._

 _Blood slowly poured out of the holes that were scattered around Minato's body. The red liquid oozed out of his mouth and could do nothing about all of it. The last of his strength was being used to hold the book. He watched as Esdeath slowly walked up to him. For some reason, he was feeling extremely tired now._

" _No… don't close those eyes! Don't you dare close your eyes!" Esdeath shouted, slapping the blue-haired boy harshly. That seemed to earn her a better view of his pupils for a second before his eyelids dropped once more. Resorting to shaking him, Esdeath didn't take care of the blood staining her own clothes. Seeing how that didn't work, she began to get to work._

 _Ripping the spears out of Minato's body, she hastily found the necessary tools and equipment she needed. Ignoring the whispers of her brother, Esdeath ripped some cloth apart and wrapped it around the boy to try and stop the bleeding._

"… _Sister…"_

 _She ripped more cloth._

"… _sister…"_

 _She wrapped more on him._

"… _-ter…"_

 _She eventually finished covering his wounds and now had to make sure that he didn't fall asleep. Since she gathered the ingredients she thought was necessary, she began to mix them in a small bowl as Minato continued to try and grab her attention. Her focus was too intense to have anything interrupt her._

 _Feeling a prod on her stomach, she broke out of her trance and looked down. The book Minato held was slowly but continuously poking her. Looking at the hand that was holding onto it before following the arm, she saw that the blue-haired boy was the one doing such an action._

" _Not… g ing to… m ke… t. K ep it s fe…" Minato tried to form his sentence, but he could barely form words._

" _Stop talking! Save your strength! Stay strong, Brother! Stay strong!" Esdeath exclaimed she was done her mixing. A solid substance was formed as she broke a piece off and shoved it into Minato's mouth. The piece only remained in his mouth for just a second before the boy turned his head and it fell out. Seeing how the substance didn't even have bite marks, the blue-haired girl ripped a chuck into her mouth and began to chew quickly._

 _Bending down, Esdeath pressed her lips onto Minato's and forced the boy to swallow the mixture._

 _It tasted like a combination of dried salted meat, mud, piss, shit, and vomit._

 _Ignoring the taste, Esdeath continued to chew and force feed Minato. But every time she did, the boy lost energy and strength. He couldn't even hold his head up. His half-lidded eyes stared directly towards his sister's wide ones. Despite not being able to form words before, he could feel his tongue be able to work again. But only just for a couple of seconds. Probably because of the substance he was being fed. But he still wasn't going to make it. He knew it. He felt it._

 _Esdeath meanwhile continued to desperately help Minato stay alive. But the boy was too severely wounded in the first place to make it. All she did was delay his death. The blue-haired girl eventually wasn't able to feed her brother due to him being unable to swallow._

" _Memento… Mori…"_

 _His words were even quieter than a whisper, but still were loud in Esdeath's ears. His eyes were now closed, ready to accept the eventual death. But before passing on, he felt a hand grasp his own and squeeze it tightly. Doing the best he could, he squeezed back within the darkness._

 _Esdeath clutched onto the hand as if it were her lifeline. The final member of her tribe and family was still alive yet dying right before her eyes. All of this was just so sudden. If she was around, could it have been possible for everyone to be safe? To be alive?_

 _The grip on her hand then ceased._

 _Breaking out of her thoughts, she looked down to see the limp hand she was holding. A peaceful look was on Minato's face as if he were sleeping. Lowing her arm, she place his hand softly on the ground. His final words… Minato accepted his death so easily. Not because he was weak, but because the end would eventually come._

 _Eyeing her mother's book which Minato held, she slowly tugged it from his dead grasp and stared at it. Wondering what was among the pages, she frowned at what she saw. Esdeath then turned the page to see what it held. The next action was turned the page again… and again… and again… but it was the same thing over and over again._

 _Nothing but blank pages._

" _That damn woman!" Esdeath shouted as she threw the book to the ground with as much strength as she could._

 _This meant that Minato died for what?! A completely useless and blank book?! Their mother treasured such an object and Minato lost his life for that woman's final memory! The young girl couldn't even come up with the proper way to react! Esdeath was absolutely furious! She grabbed the piece that Minato had spit out earlier and threw it away as hard as she could. She then smashed the bowl with her heel and began to trash the tent with her tantrum._

 _When she obliterated the inside, she settled for pounding her fist against the ground. Pow! Pow! Pow! She ignored the bleeding hand in exchange for venting out her anger. But she soon stopped as her hand almost smashed into an open palm on the ground._

 _Breathing heavily, Esdeath slowly began to regain her senses as she took another look at Minato's body. Crawling to his other side, she slowly picked up the book and gently placed it back onto her brother's body. Shifting the arms, she made it look like he was holding the object in his sleep._

 _Throughout the entire time, since discovering her home in ruins, Esdeath did not shed a single tear._

 _ **PXA**_

 _Despite her age and build, Esdeath didn't seem the least bit tired._

 _She wasn't even breathless as she had just finished another grave for another deceased member of her tribe. How long had she been at digging for? Despite her focused mind, it was also a bit blank for a while as well. At least there were shovels that weren't destroyed._

 _Esdeath still hadn't cried yet. She began to suspect that she would never shed a tear. She was too strong to be like that. Standing back up straight once more, there was only one more person left to bury. Walking away from the site, her legs carried her to Minato._

 _Suddenly, she noticed something was off about the ground. Narrowing her eyes, Esdeath saw something that wasn't there before. A new set of footprints that looked fresh. Was there maybe another opposing tribe member still lurking around to see if everyone was gone?_

 _Reaching over quietly, Esdeath grabbed a spear that was off to the side and stealthily followed the tracks. What made her grow even more suspicious was that the owner of these new footprints didn't bother to hide their trail. But the blue-haired girl didn't pay mind to that for long due to having to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary._

 _Suddenly, there was a powerful feeling coming from somewhere around her home. It wasn't like anything she had ever felt before. Looking on ahead to where she felt the power, Esdeath's eyes narrowed once more as the path ended right inside the tent where Minato was resting. It was also where the footprints ended._

 _Lowering herself, she tensed her arms just in case she needed to throw the spear to gain advantage of distance. Creeping over on her feet like a panther, she was careful and quiet travelling forward. Who was it that could be able to create such a feeling? Slowly, she could make out a figure inside the tent she was heading to. It looked like they didn't take notice of her._

 _Closer…_

 _Closer…_

 _Now-!_

 _Esdeath's arms aimed back to throw the spear when she suddenly saw who it was. In mid-throw already, she was forced to make a swift adjustment as she sent the weapon flying. The pointed stick flew right past the person, just missing their face. But they weren't startled in the slightest._

 _The blue-haired girl then ran forward to see if it was really that person. But as she got closer, there was no doubt about it. That dark-blue hair with bangs that covered his right eye. That posture the person was in despite sitting down. It was him. But how? No, she could wonder that another time. Right now, she just wanted to make sure he was real._

 _Slowly standing in front of the person, they were still holding the book that she last saw him hold. Getting down onto her knees slowly, she took another look to confirm that it was him. Satisfied with what she saw, she opened her arms but held them out hesitantly. They still haven't even responded to her presence yet. Bending her arms, they wrapped around the body lightly. But they still touched the body. So it wasn't an illusion. It was real. It was really real._

" _Brother…" Esdeath whispered with amazement. "You're… alive…"_

 _She received no verbal response, only a slow, soft hug which was cold._

"… _I'm back… Sister…"_

 **PXA**

"No."

Minato stood with his hands in his pockets as his body was positioned in front of a desk with General Esdeath at the back of it.

The General sighed at her answer. At least the group that was going to be under her command was gathering today. Standing back up, she looked directly towards the male that was actually a bit shorter than her. "Very well…" Despite her answer, she was still reluctant to let go of the issue. "You may take your leave now, Brother."

But Minato didn't move. He settled for simply staring at Esdeath for a long period of time with silence. The General responded with a similar action. After a while, the blue-haired person bowed. "Until we meet again, Sister."

With parting words, Minato turned around to exit the door. Because of this, he found himself wandering the palace and trying to find a way out of the castle. It was actually a simple task due to his sense of direction being abnormally amazing. As he walked, he ignored the glances from those who lived within the walls in favor of seeking his destination of his work place.

On second thought… he could go for a small drink.

He was feeling a bit thirsty.

Opening the door to a bar, it looked like your average place. There were people chatting while drinking or having some food. Some were even trying to get closer to a couple of ladies. Ignoring all of them since they weren't bothering him, he soon found himself along the bar counter.

"Something strong if you don't mind, sir." Minato sat down on a stool and gave his order to the bartender.

"Anythin' specific?" The grey-haired person asked as he was polishing a glass. Seeing Minato shake his head, the bartender grabbed a bottle and poured out a pint mug of amber ale and placed it right in front of the male. " 'ere ya are."

Bringing the cup to his nose, Minato took a small whiff. Humming with interest, he took a small sip. Blinking, he still had a blank look on his face. Reaching to his side, he opened a small pouch on hand and pulled out a few gold coins. Placing the currency on the table, he grabbed his mug again. "I'll have a few more, please. How much will I be able to receive with this?"

"…Nineteen more…." The bar person answered, surprised at how much the person in front of him was paying. But it confirmed to fulfill the amount by getting a nod from the boy.

"Nineteen more it shall be then, sir." Minato took a large gulp from his portion. It took a lot to make the blue-haired male drunk. Seeing the bartender walk away in a hurry to satisfy his thirst, he took time to think about something before eyeing the book strapped to his back. Nonchalantly placing his thumb and index finger along the top of the pages, he pinched them together and pulled gently.

Seeing what he had received, it was a card with XIX on it. He didn't need to see the rest of the card though as he knew it was the image of a blazing sphere with a face. The Sun arcana symbolized happiness, joy, optimism, and accomplishment. Occasionally, it also associated with one's initial happiness.

"Seems like someone's having a party over here!" A feminine voice Minato recognized from somewhere came from behind him.

Huh… Speak of the Sun and it shall appear.

 **I'm not sure if that could be the possible Arcana for that person… Oh well. As you saw, that was the past… I am really hoping that it was satisfying to you all… despite Esdeath being OOC there.**

 **Please review so I know what you guys think.**

 **If you have any questions, feel free to ask.**

 **No flames please.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own the Persona series or Akame ga Kill. Everything belongs to their respected owners.**

"Mind if I take one off your hands? This old guy's drink is probably the best on this side of the Capital and I left my purse back home."

Minato blinked before turning his head and seeing a fully-grown young woman who – by his estimate – was no younger than her early twenties. She had short blonde hair with two lengthy bangs which framed either side of her smiling face and bright gold eyes shining with mischief and an odd intelligence. She wore a beige scarf over her neck and had a pair of loose, three-quarter length sleeves over her arms that went up from her wrists to a pair of golden bangles over her biceps.

Her brown, knee-high boots ran up into a set of leggings which had no inner-thigh covering at all, which made Minato greatly curious as to how she managed to keep that attire and not seek out a change because of how breezy it must have been. The woman's modesty was covered by a single dark-colored piece of underwear showing off to the world with a matching breast band holding back her ample bosom.

His one visible eye among his dark-blue bangs subtly scanned the woman. Not perversely as he was not that type of person. It looked similar to his first and only encounter with the female from before. It made him wonder if she ever washed her clothes, wore the same thing every day, or just had multiple sets of the same clothing. No matter, what the slight issue was here was that he had caught her eye.

Minato finally nodded, slowly turning back to the bar. Looking along the counter, the amount of mugs he had bought were already spread out and presented. This drink did taste pretty nice. He didn't mind sharing either. He was in a bit of a generous mood. Plus, maybe he could figure out this woman's intentions as well. "…I do not mind, Miss…" He trailed off, not really knowing or remembering the blonde's name if he even heard it before.

"The name is Leone, O' generous one. What's yours?" The blonde woman sprouted a happy grin with her greeting. Not waiting for her own answer she swiped one of the mugs and gulped down at an impressive speed.

The woman's cheerful personality seemed to be infectious and Minato nearly smiled himself, settling for just the corner of his mouth to twitch. "Minato." He told her. Watching her chug a second mug, she must be really enjoying herself. He just wondered if she was really just trying to have a good time or something else.

Leone let out a sigh in contentment after removing the mug and commented with a smack of her lips. "Ah, you're still my all-time favorite no matter how much time passes." The blonde said to herself before looking at the barkeeper. "Hey, Old Man! Did you add something more to it since last week?"

The man's eyes turned from another customer and widened as he realized who was inside his establishment. "Oh, it's you, Leone. Nope, nothing new. Maybe it's because someone else is paying for it?" Looks like the man was used to seeing the blonde around. Minato took mental notes of that.

"True, true." She agreed with a nod of her head, folding her arms with a look of serious thought. Closing her eyes, she grabbed another mug and downed it once more. "Phew! There's always a certain allure that makes everything taste better off of someone else's plate." She wiped her mouth with her arm.

"Apparently." Minato commented, reminding her that he was here with his own eyes closed. In truth, he was trying to see if he could feel the presence of fellow assassins. Hmm… Looks like nobody with dangerous intent was around. That or they were extremely good at hiding themselves. Well, this was Night Raid he was perhaps thinking about. "Tell me, what does a young woman like yourself do for a living, Miss Leone?"

Hearing her name from the blue-haired male, the blonde grinned. "I'm not that old to be called 'Miss', just call me by my name." She waved her hand as Minato was now sipping on a new mug. "I'm from around these parts, born and bred down here in these slums. Made a real name for myself as a little tike giving massages at a local parlor." Taking a seat her face looked slightly red yet she seemed to be going strong.

"Is that so?" Minato asked. His answer was a rather unladylike belch. Shrugging, he continued to sip and eyed his ale amount. She had gone through three while he was moving onto his third one. A question was how much was she willing to drink? Going back to the information he received about massages, he remembered that his shoulders had been stiff a little lately. Perhaps he should go for such a rub later.

"What about you? You must have a pretty nice job to spend this sort of money." Leone asked, taking on an uncaring expression on her face.

Ah, now she pounces. Telling the truth shouldn't hurt. "I'm a fortune teller. Apparently they are really good to the point that many nobles pay generous amounts. They claim my predications save their lives." Minato shrugged.

Well, it was pretty true. But he only took on fortunes if he thought it was worth his time. If there was any sort of evidence that they would be assassinated or would die and ask if they would, then he would simply state that they answered their own question. He would only read fortunes or so that could potentially change a person or have an interesting string of events occur.

"Really?" Leone questioned. "That's amazing! You must have a really special talent, predicting the future and all!" She exclaimed, surprisingly not grabbing any attention around the bar. "Say, I have a question then." Seeing Minato nod his head and take another mug, she smiled. "Can you predict my future?" She asked with a smile.

Hearing all of this praise, Minato simply went for another mug of ale. Good god he was thirsty. He didn't know why, but then he would never feel like this whenever he would be telling his fortunes. Perhaps because socializing was not exactly something he did very often. Even so, it was mainly because of his or Esdeath's sibling visits. "It all depends…" He started slowly. "How are you willing to pay?"

Leone just whined in annoyance. "Oh come on! Pretty please! Can you continue to be a generous soul and let it slide? You can't just tease a girl that way; dangle that juicy piece of meat and then take it away when I bite." …Minato could make a couple of vulgar jokes if he wanted but held his tongue.

Actually, he had to remind himself that he was conversing with a Night Raid member. This girl was good. Perhaps that should suffice as payment. It was amusing to see how Leone acted. "…I guess could let it slide." Wow, he was talkative today… Guess the alcohol was getting to his head.

This does risk him exposing himself being given the name of a Teigu user however. He wouldn't bother correcting as they would just flat out ignore him and try to take him to the Empire to be executed. But then Esdeath would easily bribe or reason his way out. The benefits of having a sister within one of the highest ranks were great indeed.

Then again, it would produce an interesting amount of events.

Reaching his hand to the side opposite of Leone, he made sure to cover such an area so the blonde woman couldn't look over. Sticking his hand in his pocket, Minato commanded the cards from within the book to slide silently along his hip and into said pant hole. He had to stall for a bit by making it look like trying to pull out the full deck, which he sort of was in the end as all the cards gathered in their destination.

With a final tug, he presented his deck. Presented the faced side of his cards to the blonde, he began to shuffle with flourishing fingers. Slowly closing his eyes, Minato felt his fingers dance with the cards. He was hypnotizing Leone with such a magnificent performance. With a final trick, he finished shuffling his deck.

Presenting his deck to Leone, he took a deep breath and flipped the first card over. It was so familiar and frequent that he was not surprised at its presence. "Death… in the upright position." Eyeing the female, he saw her just tense at the mere sight of the card. It was understandable however. "Do not worry as you should not take this card literally." Now earning a curious look, Minato decided to elaborate. "Death is symbolic of the ending of a major phase or aspect of your life that may bring about the beginning of something far more valuable and important. You must close one door in order to open another. You need to put the past behind you and part ways, ready to embrace new opportunities and possibilities."

He would not dare to mention however the fact that she was probably already doing this. Now that Minato had heard that now to Night Raid members were dead, the assassination group would certainly be trying to aid one another. Taking the next card, there was a single sword pointed up among a clock like wheel. One animal sat above it while another sat below yet it was over an X.

"The Wheel of Fortune… inverted…" He muttered in a low tone. This probably did not mean something well. "Luck is not on your side. There will be an event that will not be in your favor and send you into a tail spin and change your world. Often times, the reversed card indicates that there are negative forces at play that are outside of your control… But what or who will it happen to?"

Taking a third card, he was once more not surprised at who his next topic belonged to. "The Fool… upright." Taking time to pretend to think, he looked directly at the blonde who was surprisingly staring intensely towards his cards. "…Leone."

Hearing her name, she snapped out of her focused phase in return for looking at the male. "Yeah?" She asked. The blonde couldn't believe that she was finding herself absorbed into his explanations. Despite every fortune teller she ran into being complete fraud, it felt like Minato was completely different. His words were so similar to others yet… it was so convincing. His tone, his eyes, his body language… all of it screamed of experience as if something unworldly had taken control of him.

"Is there perhaps someone who can be considered a new friend to you?" Minato asked, having a feeling that the answer was yes. He patiently waited as Leone put a thoughtful look on her face. But in reality, the male predicted it was that Tatsumi child. Receiving a nod, he just stared at Leone.

The blonde was confused to why the blue-haired male was just looking right into her eyes. Wait a minute… That Wheel of Fortune reading… Did that mean something was going to happen to Tatsumi? Looks like she was going to have to keep a close eye on the newest member of Night Raid.

"Yet with that, the Fool shall bring with him back…" Minato continued on for the final card. Placing the final card among the three laid out, he raised an eyebrow this time. "The Devil… As stated, human's associated with this card are often 'devilish' themselves, greed, pride, lust, or simply just uncaring for the needs or well-being of others."

"…In all honesty, that wasn't much of a fortune." Leone soon began to look with flat eyes. This was her basic summary. Bulat's death was going to change Night Raid for sure, especially since Incursio was given to Tatsumi. Something bad was going to happen to the boy. After that he would bring home a Devil… Well, maybe it was better than nothing. It was the future that she was going to experience.

Minato simply nodded his head down. "I deeply apologize." He said as he looked back up and began to collect his cards. "I am a mere reader. Your true fate is revealed with the cards. I could be simply interpreting their message wrong." Stuffing them into his pocket, he mentally apologized to the creator of such delicate work, he bowed and walked off.

"Aww, that's it?" Leone suddenly went back to her cheery self and put on a hurt expression. "No good-bye hug or even a farewell? You wound me." She whined, causing Minato to pause in his tracks. "I thought that we were becoming best friends as well!"

Them? Best friends? Probably not going to happen. Maybe taking out the best part would be a much more suitable term if he felt like it. But not right now. He was busy and he had plans for the day. But with an interaction like this, it was interesting. "…Do not worry, I feel like we shall see each other some other time in the future. Until we meet again."

Turning around with his formal bow and signature message, he faced the door and grabbed the handle. Pushing forward, he stepped through the confines of the building and stepped outside.

Leone saw this happen. Wondering where he was going, she thought about tailing him. With a swift movement of finishing the last ale (When did they even drink that much in the first place?) She bolted to the door and swung it open just as Minato closed it.

All that greeted the blonde was an empty street.

 **PXA**

Minato didn't show it, but he was mentally preparing himself.

At least a week had passed since his last visit into the castle of the Empire due to giving his sister some time and her new group to work together. Now he was on his way to introduce himself as it seemed like a good idea. But why was he mentally preparing himself.

Through his entire life, he had run into many characters. Each of them had their own unique quirks and personalities. Although it didn't faze him, it was because he was holding it all in as calm as he could. It would be completely out of character for him to freak out in his own opinion.

Apparently being recognized due to his blue hair (Then again, who else in the Empire had blue hair?), the guards easily allowed him access into the walls and closer to his destination. With an extremely great sense of direction, he still wandered the palace until he saw Esdeath standing in front of some sort of opening.

This was when he really made his footsteps quiet. With not a single sound being emitted from his being, he managed to get within arms reach and poking Esdeath right on her back. He immediately knew what was coming yet did not react to it.

With his arm being snatched in her hand, he felt his body being twisted and forced to lose his balance due to his feet being kicked. Feeling his entire being thrown into the air, he continued to remain motionless through his entire trip. Minato didn't even make a move just as he was being threatened to meeting face first with the ground.

With a new hand grabbing the back of his collar, he knew that Esdeath's reaction time was still as sharp as ever. "What were you thinking?" Esdeath only asked as she pulled Minato back up to his feet as if she were grabbing a cat by the back of its neck. In fact, she dangled him up in the air for a few seconds as well. To the other occupants in the area, it did look like the General was carrying a stray animal.

It didn't help that Minato had a blank look.

"Well, hello to you too." Minato answered as he was dropped back onto his feet. Patting himself down, the blue-haired boy brushed off the wrinkles and creases on his clothing as he looked over to the people staring at them. "To answer your question, I was thinking if I had improved myself or not. It appears that I have."

It looked like where everyone was could be described at a slight garden or open area of sorts. A couple of trees littered the edges of the area where even more paths along the palace could be seen. Stone decorated the ground while a gentle wind blew the green grass.

Eyeing everyone else, the one that stood out was the sight of a large man. He wore some kind of mask that covered his face and entire head. He was entirely shirtless, but had long gloves. He also appeared to have 3 scars on his upper chest.

Next was a young teenage girl. She had short black hair in a twin-tail style and black eyes. She wore a black sailor uniform and wore a red belt that had a red side skirt cover. She also wore red gauntlets, long black socks, and black shoes. She apparently was also munching on what looked like candy from a giant sack.

Third was a female with an auburn color of hair that went down to her neck. With some sort of green clothing that was a cross of causal and military, what really stood out were her arms that were now metal. Sitting next to the female was some sort of dog… yet it strangely looked human… It was awkward to look at.

Next to the previous female was a rather extravagant man who practically screamed 'homo' with his vibes. It was a bit obvious that this male was either a doctor or scientist judging by the lab coat he wore along with a pair of glasses.

Afterwards was a rather normal looking man. This person was blonde yet dressed interestingly, as if he were like a monk… maybe that was just Minato's opinion.

Finally, there was the second most normal looking person. The first one was the blonde man. This person looked to be about the fortune-tellers age. Perhaps this one was from the Imperial Navy judging from his seaman like looks.

"General… Who is this man?" The woman with the metal arms asked with a raise of her hand. Even the dog creature scratched its head with curiosity. Probably was a Teigu.

Bowing formally, he only lifted himself when he finished his introduction. "My name is Minato. It is a pleasure to meet you all."

"And he is my brother." Esdeath stated right afterwards, getting a look from the male. This was because she never really was open to the fact about admitting his relationship with her. Esdeath always kept their bonds a secret for reasons Minato had yet to figure out or know. Perhaps it was to be more open with the Jaegers and help them become much more loyal followers with some of her secrets being revealed?

This created several reactions. Some of them were extremely enthusiastic, especially coming from the scientist and the woman with the dog Teigu. There were normal ones, mainly from the masked man and the blonde male. One of them was bland, granted from the teenage girl. Finally, which Minato expected, was a mixture that could never be read not even by him from the Navy man.

Blinking, he slowly listened to Esdeath introduce the members of the group she was in charge in which were called the Jaegers. The masked man was named Bols, and he was a member of the Incineration squad. Next was Kurome, who was an assassin for the Empire. Third was Seryu, a member of the military who had a passion for justice. Fourth was Stylish… His name was all Minato needed to know to figure out what kind of person his sister was dealing with here. The blonde was named Run, a really simple person in the blue-haired male's opinion. Finally was Wave… Really did match up with his status as a Navy man.

"So… how has your time been with these people, Sister?" Minato asked with slightly curiosity, turning his head just so that he eyed the female.

"Very well as I have made excellent progress with each and every one of them." Esdeath answered with a fold of her arms and a gentle smile.

Once more, Minato gave her a look. "…Who are you and what have you done to my sister?" He asked in a bland tone, making everyone not sure if he was joking or not. Only Esdeath knew that in a way, he was right, slightly. She never really did reveal much emotion in the first place. The only time the both of them could ever remember such moments happening was when their tribe still lived and when Esdeath nearly lost her brother.

But now that time had passed for the both of them to bury feelings. Then again, Minato was the one who was much more expressionless than Esdeath. Seeing how they both understood such dry humor, the male spoke once more. "What do you plan to do now?"

With that question, the General's look slightly hardened. Ah, there was the woman Minato was familiar with. "We were going to fight one another to understand our abilities." She explained as she looked over the many faces that were at the ready. "Perhaps you would like to be a part of it?"

Placing his chin in his hand for a few seconds, Minato shrugged. There was no harm in trying to help anyways. Hearing that there was a slight pause in her speech, it seemed like he would have a choice to choose who to fight. Taking a glance at each and every person, one stood out to him in particular.

Raising an eyebrow, he fingered the book on his back and pulled out a card. Ignoring the surprised looks, he stared at the image. A person hung upside-down from one leg with his other leg crossing it, forming a 4. The head however hovered above a XII. The Hanged Man arcane, associated with self-sacrifice for the sake of enlightenment, the bindings that makes one free, paradoxes between heaven and earth.

"…Kurome, was it?" Minato asked, eyeing the young assassin.

Kurome nodded her head as she stood up and walked across from the blue-haired boy. Both seemed to react at the same time to two objects being thrown towards them. Snatching it out from the air, Minato brought in front of his face a wooden katana that looked much similar to Kurome's temporary weapon as well.

Apparently Esdeath had tossed them each one and nodded her head. Looks like the fight already started.

Staring at each other, none of them made a move. But Minato was quick to end that as he rushed forward with a horizontal swing. Kurome dashed back to avoid it and raised her own wooden blade to block a few incoming vertical slashes. Leaping to the side, the female assassin slashed horizontally but then Minato easily dodged it.

Going to a low swipe, Kurome saw Minato jump over the blade and run to her backside. She tried to grab him by the upper pants but found herself being forced to let go as she almost fell down just as the male slid down.

Minato turned around and slashed downwards a couple of times before taking swift steps forward. Kurome attempted to retreat once more and attempt to hit Minato's head. But the blue-haired male simply tilted his head back and forth before countering with furious slashes.

But none of them were successful as Kurome deflected each of them and they were pushed away. Having to stare each other down once more, Minato suddenly began to bounce on one leg. This for some reason made Kurome tense up.

"…What is he doing?" Wave asked in confusion as all of the other Jaegers watched the fight with major interest. This was combat involved with the apparent brother of the General Esdeath after all.

"With movement like that, he could easily rush forward and strike." Esdeath simply answered. "But with that motion, he keeps faking-out his opponent to see if they will fall for his trick or not. If they react, he can easily counter. If they do not move, he will retaliate."

Seeing as how Kurome chose the latter, Minato rushed forward. But as he did Kurome found the small window to rush at him as well. Clashing swords, Minato grabbed Kurome's clothing and pulled her as he stepped past the girl. Making a swiping motion to force him to let go, it was successful as she attempted to slash him once more.

Minato was fast enough to dodge by leaping into the air with his chest facing the ground. Caught off-guard by such swift movement, Kurome was forced once more was dash backwards as Minato landed on her feet. But then he stayed in his horizontal position, actually rushing forward in such a low stance and rapidly slashing while giving chase. He almost looked like a Danger Beast stalking its prey.

As Minato continued to run forward with such attacks, he slammed his fist against the ground to flip himself over the girl. Clashing once more, Minato hopped over another sweep and wrapped his arm around Kurome's non-sword arm. Angling his body and running around in a circle, he forced Kurome to follow his speed and movement as their running brought them closer and closer to the ground.

After a few laps, Minato let go and tried to cut Kurome. The girl had the same idea and the blocked each other. Once more, they were across one another.

Minato and Kurome both stood up at the same time while continuing to stare at each others' eyes. Each of them soon lowered themselves into a stance. The wooden sword in one hand while the other was free. Both waited once more for another to react.

Rushing forward at the same time, Minato stepped out of harm's way as Kurome slashed his mid-section. Lifting his weapon up high, the male saw Kurome react by raising her blade for a block or another strike.

With force, Minato broke right through her weapon with his own.

All the watchers but Esdeath had their eyes widen with surprise and shock at what Esdeath's brother had performed. Kurome however remained motionless as she stayed in the exact position she was defeated in. Her face stared toward the ground. Her sword hand rested on her the grass. The bangs along her forehead covered her eyes.

Minato stared at his defeated opponent. Continuing to keep his gaze frozen on her, he eventually looked up to stare at his own wooden weapon. "…Oh my, look what you did to my weapon." He commented, referring to the several chips that were made within the weapon. Looking back to Kurome he made a comment before walking towards their audience.

"Until our next fight, rely on yourself; not your drugs."

 **Special thanks to DarkLord98 for beta reading!**

 **No flames please!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own the Persona series or Akame ga Kill. Everything belongs to their respected owners.**

Night had descended upon the castle and it was surprisingly tame.

It appeared the only ones among the group with good cooking experience were Wave, Bols, and Minato. The blue-haired boy was held back from leaving the castle however as his sister wanted to apparently converse with him about something. As well as for the fact that they had never eaten together since her promotion to General in the army.

Their setting was the dining room where all of them would eat. Among the dining room it was everyone doing their own parts. Run was wearing some rather formal attire and standing next to the door like a butler or servant waiting for a command. Stylish was mingling with the blonde, complimenting how stylish he was. Kurome found some sort of object that was meant for cats and was teasing Koro with it and the Teigu hopped up and down in an attempt to catch it.

Seryu meanwhile had a seat right next to Esdeath as the General was giving the soldier her complete attention. Minato meanwhile was on the side of the conversation between the two of them. Taking a glance at the table, it was rather simple. In all honesty, he slightly expected the layout to be much fancier. All he could see right now was two plates with napkins folded on top, and standard cutlery for eating.

Maybe that was because the Jaegers were a bit of an independent group despite their affiliations with the Empire. He did not want to admit it, but he was feeling rather hungry. Wave and Bols should be finished with dinner soon.

"General." Seryu spoke from her conversation with the blue-haired beauty of a General. "What about you?" She asked with curiosity, wanting to know more about her group leader despite the amount of time they had been together. "What have you been doing in your spare time?"

Minato thought that the answer should be obvious. His sister's hobbies consisted of the exact factors she was famous – or infamous- for among the vast regions of the Empire. "Mostly hunting and torture. Otherwise I study." Esdeath answered.

Two out of three was not that bad. He did consider Esdeath the type of person to be intelligent when it came down to strategies and the enemy, but studying was a completely new concept to him. Not once had he seen her face in a book ever. There was one time, but it could easily be shot down by the fact that it's a sketch book that she carries around.

"But at the moment…" Oh? Whatever was coming up it was going to be news to Minato's ears. This new piece of information must have come up recently if he never knew about it. The General placed down a glass of wine she was sipping from. "I was thinking that I might try my hand at being in love."

Minato's blank look took on just the slightest emotion of surprise, but was still sensed and seen by his sister no less. Who knew that the cold General of the Empire would want to try her hand in such a feeling. "You seemed surprised at my reveal, Brother." Esdeath commented.

Noticing that the attention was brought onto him now, he knew that there was no escape. Minato could not blame his sister for wanting an explanation to his reaction. "I do remember you saying, and I quote, 'I do not understand humans who are motivated by love. A person is born, lives for a number of years, and interacts with up to an unknown amount of people. What proof is there of something they can't even define?'"

If Esdeath was surprised, she didn't show it which was impressive. "But there is a definition after a bit of research." She replied, as if expecting such an answer from Minato. "Love is an intense feeling of deep affection or a feeling a deep romantic or sexual attachment to 'someone'."

"Is that not just a simple form of lust and desire rather that the actual emotion itself? Is that just an opinion rather than a fact? You can claim a 'love' for battle. You can claim a 'love' for humans. We all know that in the end it still is just a form of one of the many sins of humanity, lust." Minato stated. Blinking, he soon realized what he had said as Esdeath's face fell a bit.

"Brother, are you feeling all right?" The General of the Empire questioned. "You were not exactly… yourself seconds ago."

"Apologies, Sister, I have been swamped with fortunes as of late and I've had to elaborate many times. Perhaps such readings are coming to my head and allowing me to ramble on… which I am currently doing right now." Minato caught himself spewing out words and constantly rolled off his tongue with such ease. "Speaking of which, do you perhaps need a reading? What other reason would you have for me to stay other than 'family' time?"

"…Sharp as ever." Esdeath commented before leaning on her elbows which were propped up on the table. Her hands were also holding each other up with fingers tangled and rested her chin on her backhands. "Can you see such a fortune for me? Even with the quotes I have mentioned with the past, show me my future… my journey as you would say it sometimes."

All he could do was give her a flat stare. He knew that she just jest about his work. Oh well, that didn't really matter. He was more than happy to read his sister's fortune. It was a rare occasion that she would even ask him for a reading in the first place. Not being very superstitious or believing in spirits still did not have the General back away from such intriguing methods.

Brushing his fingers along the pages of the books, the cards once again started to fly into his hand. Earlier, he was questioned if what he wielded was even a Teigu. The conclusion that all the Jaegers came up to was the answer yes. Because… there was a Danger Beast that could be separated into a whole bunch of cards apparently.

Then again, none of them were aware of their armor and summoning abilities.

"So, dear Sister, what is it that you desire to know." Minato asked, shuffling the deck with tricks. Arms did not tire from such as he had practiced and performed for many souls.

Esdeath merely smiled. "Will I ever be able to fall in love?"

He nodded his head in understanding and knowledge of the question. Now it was just time for the cards to shine. The other Jaeger were too mesmerized by Minato's finger word. Such a task was so magical and mysterious in their eyes. Placing his deck down, he took a single card and placed it on the table to his left. A second card was in hand and set in the middle. A final card was then taken and put aside on the right.

With a hand hovering the left card, he flipped it over and revealed a card with III below. "The Empress right side up, often belonging to women of authority or wise and motherly figures. It is a bit obvious that this is you, Sister." Minato commented towards Esdeath, who continued to keep up her smile. "…What?" He then asked as the lady still kept up such a look.

"Sorry, it's just that you look like you have so much fun when you tell people their fortunes." She commented.

An eyebrow slightly rose up on his face with a questioning look. "How do you conclude that?" His answer was a period of silence. Sighing internally, he went back to reading the fortunes. As he flipped the next card, he did his best to make sure that he was wearing a straight face. The next piece of the future contained a card with a heart above a male and female which were standing next to the symbol VI in the upright position.

"The Lovers initially represent two paths life could lead to, and thus a symbol of standing at a crossroad and needing to make a decision. In this case however, as it is the most common, it is portrayed more of a symbol of love and romantic relationships. Although it can also be a symbol of finding agreement with an ordinary friend or even two conflicting element within, but I digress."

"In short, I will have the opportunity to fall in love." Esdeath concluded from her brother's prediction. She knew that pretty much each reading of his was spot on. She heard rumors of such off of the streets about an amazing fortune teller with blue hair. Some people however say that he was possessed by and evil spirit or that he just made such futures come true by his own hand.

Well… those people were slightly right, but only when it came down to work when Minato had to get a bit dirty.

"With who though?" She asked.

Grabbing the third card laid out, he flipped it to show a figure with a sack on his back, a dog at his side, and the number below it. "The Fool." Now this made Esdeath's face morph into an expression that demanded an explanation. "With the card being upright, they are not going to be an actual fool." He assured her. "The Fool represents innocence, divine inspiration, madness, freedom, spontaneity, inexperience, chaos, and creativity. Despite this, I still see it as a person who began or is still along their journey and can be considered a 'jack of all trades' for a lack of better terms. Don't worry, Sister, he will a fine man in your eyes."

Minato already had one fool in mind.

"I see." Esdeath nodded her head. "Brother, thank you for such a reading. I can now be slightly relieved that such an event shall occur."

"Do not forget that you have to make it happen, not have life give it to you." Minato reminded her. "Also, there is one final card for this fortune." That grabbed the General's attention as he drew a fourth card from the deck and placed it down on the three cards. "Hmm…" He hummed in disapproval as the card showed a towing being struck by lightning. "XVI, or the Tower as the more common name. An omen of doom and disaster is what this card symbolizes. Despite having positive meanings, I fear that the former is what shall come upon you two."

Esdeath was now wearing a frown on her face as he casually read the final card. Is that what really was going to happen? She would fall in love but then something bad shall happen to them? The General wanted to think differently, but Minato's predictions were spot on all the time.

A pair of hands suddenly held her hands however. Looking up, she saw that her brother had grasped his limbs against hers. "Sister, "Minato began. "I'm sorry that I had to show you such a future, but that is what will happen. Just remember to not even hesitate to come to me if you need a shoulder to lean on. I am family after all."

A loud growl suddenly broke the atmosphere. Silence took over after only for another loud growl to erupt a few seconds later. All the Jaegers looked around to see where such a source was coming from. In the end it all came down to… Minato's stomach…

"My stomach is saying that it needs food." He commented as his body rumbled with agreement.

Everyone looked at him as if he were some sort of alien for a few seconds. A new sound soon came from the room. Esdeath was the cause as she was just chuckling to herself. A giggle squeaked right out from Seryu. A loud, arrogant laugh came from Stylish. Run happened to be chuckling as well. Minato meanwhile was confused. He just said that he was hungry, what was so funny about that?

Soon enough though, the kitchen doors burst open and Wave plus Bols came out with massive bowls full of food. Everyone was taken in by the delicious smell as each of them took a seat at the table. There were even more pots and plates with such delicacies placed in the middle that were meant for each of the Jaegers and Minato to help themselves.

Quickly devouring the food within seconds, Minato's hand reached out towards the spoon that was meant to help portion the grub when another hand smacked into his. Looking over to his left, his eyes met Kurome's pupils. Both of them stared hard at each other, making tension between the two forced.

The rest of the Jaegers soon had dinner entertainment as Kurome and Minato were having a sword fight with their knives in competition for the food.

 **PXA**

Patting his belly with satisfaction, Minato was travelling through the halls of the castle in favor of exiting such a grand building.

Twists and turns met patches of green along with several locked rooms and stony corridors. The night sky was at least a peaceful setting as well. His footsteps echoed through the empty chambers, proving that he was rather lonely along his journey back home. Everything was rather pleasant.

A little boy suddenly came barreling through the corridor around the corner and crashed right into Minato.

He crashed straight into the blue-haired male's legs causing the both of them to fall. Luckily Minato only landed on his butt and pretty much be unharmed. Unfortunately the little boy was not so luck as he banged his head against the taller person's knee.

"Oww…" The little boy groaned while rubbing his head.

Minato got off of his butt and got up only to kneel down to the boy. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you." He felt rather bad for hurting him. Although would it be considered the boy's fault for running into him?

He stopped rubbing his head and Minato finally got a good look at him. The boy looked to be about 10 years old considering his body size. The young boy had green shoulder-length hair which was braeded on the sides and had green eyes. He wore a purple outfit with white boots and a blue mantle, as well as a large headdress which amazingly did not fall off during the collision.

He was a rather cute kid.

He just stared up to Minato. "No, it was my fault for running into you- Owie!" He winced holding his head, which now sported a growing bruise from where he accidentally ran into the older male. He whimpered slightly as he continued to rub the sore spot.

Feeling bad that he was the cause of the injury, Minato quickly made sure that nobody was around. Reaching to his back where his book way, a card slipped out and snuck into his hand. Curious about what was chosen, he brought the object in front of him and studied it while the child looked at it with curiosity.

It was a card with a man wearing armor and a cloak standing in the middle of the card with a scepter in hand and a crow upon his head. The symbol IV sat right below the figure, presenting itself as the Emperor. If he remembered correctly, the card was supposed to symbolize the desire to control one's surroundings.

A feeling ran over Minato that such a explanation was not a good thing. The Emperor could also suggest that there was an over-use and abuse of authoritative power surrounding such a person at times. They could be incredibly domineering and rigid in their thinking. It could be origination from such a person or from another individual.

Back to the topic at hand, he focused on the summon he wanted to bring out with such an arcana. "Caeser."

What came to life behind him was a face encased in black marble. It wore a Roman General's armor with a gladius on the being's side. On its head sat a wreath that was as white as the armor it wore. In hand was a large sphere that looked like a globe. The face was crisp and firm with a cape at the back and hung from the neck. Some sort of vein design could be seen along the arms and legs, although the lower part was less tame. A giant red opening was seen along the chest and some sort of tiny being was noticed right at the center of it.

Concentrating to the floating being, such a new presence's fingers began to glow. The young boy was surprised as the spectral being slowly descended down with an outstretched hand. The boy's forehead came into contact with the glowing fingers and began to mend the bruise. A bewildered look on the boy's face was seen, most likely from his pain fading away.

Several seconds later and the bruise was nowhere to be found. The little boy felt his head to check it fi was really gone. He stared at Minato with an amazed look still in his eyes. Then it became curious.

"What sort of Teigu was that!?" The boy asked with awe.

Minato simply settled for staring at the boy as Caeser disappeared from the world and the card slipped back into the book. "You know about Teigu?" He asked.

"Mmm!" The boy nodded his head. "Of course I do. Nearly everyone in the castle does." He also explained as if it were rather obvious.

…Minato could not argue with that.

"By the way, what is your name? I have never seen you in the castle before." He continued to talk.

"My name is Minato." He answered to avoid any sort of a fight. Children were easily exposed to mood swings. The best was to avoid conflict, especially with a child, was to just go with the flow. Better he just agree with him than argue.

But it looked like that this was no ordinary child. The small boy held his hand up for Minato to shake. The taller boy actually had to bend down to be able to properly link hands. "My name is Makoto. I'm the current emperor of the Capital." The way he spoke held a bit of pride.

…Om my god the arcana Minato drew was a lot more truthful than he had expected.

He knew that the emperor was a child and that the Prime Minister was really an evil person. Evil was an understatement, but there was a child within ear range. But still, he could nothing but feel sorry for the child. Makoto could have had a much better future and life altogether. But then his parents died early and he was forced to take up the role of the emperor.

"It's an honor to meet you, your majesty." Minato soon took his hand away and bowed with respect as he should since he was talking with pretty much one of the most powerful people the of Empire. This was something that he never would ever expect to happen in his life. What are the opportunities for him to run into the emperor?

"Thank you." Makoto nodded his head before thinking about something. "Minato… Minato… Are you the brother to General Esdeath?"

It seemed that words travel by fast. He hoped that it didn't make its way out of the Capital. He wanted to keep his relationship a secret. "Yes." He answered. A humming sound came from young emperor before a yawn escaped from his mouth. "Are you tired?"

Another hum came from the young boy who was also rubbing his eyes at the same time now. Taking that as a yes, Minato stood in place and thought about it for a few seconds. Shuffling around, he presented his back to the young boy. "Hop on." He offered while gesturing to his back.

A questioning glance came over Makoto's face. "Trust me, it will be a lot better than having to walk to your room. I think kids also enjoy piggyback rides."

At the words 'piggyback ride' Makoto immediately gained energy and climbed onto Minato's back with enthusiasm. Looks like the young emperor was still a young child in the end. "Now where is your room?" The fortune-teller wondered to himself out loud as he wandered the halls.

After a series of maze walking and mumble translating from the sleepy child, Minato eventually made it to Makoto's bedroom. Seriously, who was the one that left this young man alone in his castle? Seeing a nice soft bed for the child, the older male placed the small boy onto the mattress.

He was about to walk away when he heard a voice. "Change me."

Stopping dead in his tracks, Minato's mind took a few seconds to process what the emperor had just requested him to do. Blinking several times, he turned around and had to find a change of clothes that the emperor would wear.

Several moment later followed by too many drawers of clothes rummaged through, Makoto was wearing soft silk pajamas that were the color purple and was laying under the covers while Minato tucked him in. He didn't know why, but the blue-haired boy found this moment entirely appropriate to say the following words. "Good night, your majesty." He whispered.

"Call me Makoto…" The boy mumbled before turning in his sleep. "Good night, Mister Minato."

"Please, no need to call me mister. It makes me feel old." The fortune-teller stated as he slowly began to stand up.

"But Minato doesn't feel right." Makoto moaned.

"Well, call me the first thing that comes into your mind then." With that said, Minato slowly began to make his way to the door. Seriously, why was there not anybody else looking after that boy? He didn't mind Makoto, but he was the emperor.

Before he could make it out the door however, Makoto spoke out three words. "Good night, Daddy."

Despite not drinking any liquid, that was the first and last time that Minato would ever do a spit-take.

 **PXA**

"So… care to tell me what I missed out on?"

It was the next day and already there was a new member of the Jaegers. Why the person was tied to a chair and had a dog collar around his neck was an entirely different story Minato was unsure he wanted to know.

Apparently his sister held a tournament for many fighters. The winner apparently was then dragged off and was where they were right now. "Brother, I would like you to meet my lover, Tatsumi."

Huh, this ought to be interesting. "This boy is going to be your lover?" Minato asked, earning a nod from the blue-haired beauty. "…Alright."

"He of course is going to have to be a bit disciplined. He told me that he is not at all interested in working for the us." Esdeath continued to explain with a blush on her face, ignoring most of the Jaegers sweat dropping at her attitude. Only Seryu, Stylish, and Kurome were completely fine with this.

"…Do I want to know why there is a collar around his neck?" Minato asked.

Apparently Esdeath already had an answered prepared. "Because he's become my lover, of course." She said as if it were the most natural thing. "And I want him to stand out."

Minato already felt sorry for the boy. If he was correct about Tatsumi, then the latter boy would already be in Night Raid and was captured. His identity was apparently unknown to Esdeath. "If you want him to be your lover and not a pet, shouldn't you remove it in order for there to be a difference?" Minato asked.

Several seconds of pondering later Esdeath removed the collar.

"By the way, are any of you married or have any lovers?" Esdeath asked, causing Bols to raise his hand.

Well, it was true that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

Before any of them could continue however, a soldier popped in right through the door. "General Esdeath." The man saluted with a clipboard in hand. "As ordered, I've finished the report regarding the area around Gyogan lake!"

An evil smile grew on the General's face at the sound of such news. "Great, this timing is perfect."

After unlocking the chains around Tatsumi, she told all of the Jaegers, Minato, and Tatsumi to follow her as this was a new job that they would finish.

Minato and Tatsumi decided to take the back of the group as they began to have a small discussion. "So, I take it you are not a fan of the Empire?" Minato asked quietly.

"What makes you say that?" Tatsumi asked, doing his best to try and keep calm in this situation. This was not a part of the plan he had come up with. Enter the tournament, win the prize money, and that was it. He did not take into account being taking in by the Empire's said strongest and claimed to be her lover.

"Many people would look forward working for the Empire." Was the simple response from the blue-haired boy.

"I mean… they are not very nice people… Especially the Prime Minister from what I hear." Tatsumi immediately shut his mouth as soon as he made that comment. Now he was in big trouble for sure! Nobody would let out such an insult and get away with it.

Surprisingly, Minato was rather calm about it from the brunette's perspective. "Not very nice is an understatement."

Surprised with that answer, Tatsumi had to ask. "You don't like him?" How Minato answered was most certainly not a way the assassin of Night Raid expected an answer to be.

"Prime Minster Honest is a dirty, stuck-up, sadistic, shit eating, cock sucking, butt fucking, penis smelling, crotch grabbing, ball licking, semen drinking, dog raping, crime loving, child touching, cow humping, perverted-spineless-heartless-mindless-dickless, testicle choking, urine gargling, jerk offing, horse faced, sheep fondling, toilet kissing, self-centered, feces puking, dildo shoving, snot spitting, crap gathering, big nosed, monkey slapping, bastard screwing, beat shitting, fart knocking, sack busting, pus tasting, bare blowing, edge swallowing, bitch snatching, hand jobbing, doggy caressing, mucus spewing, anal plugging, hole grabbing, uncircumcised, sewer sipping, whore mongering, piss swimming, midget munching, douchebag, hole biting, carnivorous asshole to ever exist."

It did not help that it was said in such a calm tone.

"Minato, will you be my new best friend?!" Tatsumi asked.

"…Excuse me?" Minato asked.

"We have so much in common!"

"…Excuse me?"

 **Getting kicked off the internet for that one.**

 **No flames please.**

 **Please review so I know what you guys think.**

 **If you have any questions, feel free to ask.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own the Persona series or Akame ga Kill. Everything belongs to their respected owners.**

Impressive.

Thos were the words that ran through Minato's mind as he watched the Jaegers slaughter the bandit camp.

The battle started when Seryu smashed through the first ranks of the people that went against the Empire's laws. It turned into a war when Stylish sent in his enhanced troops to do the fighting for him with disturbing grace. It became a wholesale butchery when a certain female ran through the side entrance.

Despite their small chances at survival, the bandits still fought on with admirable courage. They reacted to the sudden attack in circumstances that not many could fight against. They surrounded the new arrivals with their superior numbers, flaking with practiced precision, and ran forward into the gaps of their enemy. More than that, they fought with desperation, knowing the odds were stacked hopelessly against them.

All of it was futile.

The bone of Bols' fist was hard. He used bare knuckles to smash his opposition down, pounding their forms in, crushing limbs, breaking heads with loud cracks. When the sought to surround him, the Jaeger grabbed his weapon and pointed the hole towards them that had a look of eyes glaring at the opposition. From the opening, hot flames spewed, belched out in a continuous stream, covering bandits in killing heat, entwining around them like the coils of a fiery viper. Bols guided it like a amateur artist would a brush and created tornadoes of fire that sucked in his enemies and scorched them to the bone.

Wave surged into the pockets of resistance and ended lives with great, clean sweeps of his sword. The blade was a simple short sword that looked like anyone could wield it. Yet Wave wielded it with merciless ease. He split bandits as effortlessly as a man would chop firewood, cutting twisted people from heat to feet. It only helped him look more deadly.

Kurome was shrouded in an aura of terrible beauty. She was an assassin of arguable unparalleled skill. An innocent girl clad in murderous blood. A puppet master, she was known among those closest to her. The earned the title well. Her smile seemed to grow with every enemy slain. It seemed to become more radiant for every drop of bloodshed. She left behind mangled, disarticulated corpses behind her like devastated wreckage after a hurricane. Such was the speed of her slashes that her foes did not bleed until well after they hit the ground.

Seryu fought with a mad woman's grin bright upon her lips. Unlike most of her comrades who waged fights in concentrated silence, the female piled her trade with loud declarations of justice on her tongue. She exchanged insults with the foe, hurling her words at them in between gunfire from her vast arsenal. Not a blade master like Kurome, not possession of strength like Bols, Seryus method of battle was bullets. Righteous delivering bullets. Waves of it she summoned with a pull of a trigger. Her Teigu was a potential threat as well, devouring those who dared inch close to the gunner.

Run looked like an angel, almost shining like a newly born star. The blonde fired feathers. Like a rain o f needles, they fell onto his enemies, descending on corrupted heads and twisted people in a killing storm. Those not immediately cut to pieces were pinned to the ground like grotesque specimen on a mad biologist's cutting table.

Stylish was taking it all in. The dark red smears against the ground and walls. The outcrop of debris. Each of his soldiers held flair in their battles. There was so much flowery elegance and stylish grace. Yet they slew bandit with clockwork precision, killed them with machine-like efficiency. "Stylish," He said softly as he watched Kurome carve her way through a thong of criminals. "Stylish," he repeated as he saw Bols effortlessly lift a bandit and break their back across his knee. "STYLISHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed dropping to his knees in complete fascination.

 **PXA**

Minato blinked at the choice of his battle cry. He just stared as he had just heard the sheer passion behind it. "Hmm…" He hummed slowly before craning his head over towards Tatsumi and Esdeath. He continued to remain quiet however.

His sister held a blush, a sight that the fellow blue-haired person had never seen before through his entire life. Despite her eyes being glued to the display of brutality among the fight, her gaze was facing away from him and the male brunette.

Tatsumi too was blushing as he too had his face looking away. But his eyes was set on Minato rather than the fight or his sister. The pair of eyes met with one another as the boy saw that he had the blue-haired male's attention. "Help me." Tatsumi mouthed with desperation and great plea in his face.

Leaning forward and craning his head a little more, Minato finally noticed why. The brown haired-boy's hand was connected to the ground. Esdeath's on the other hand was… well… on Tatsumi's hand.

Now it made a lot more sense. The boy seemed to be a lot more innocent than Minato expected. Was it perhaps of the brunette's age? Then again, it was the appropriate time for puberty to kick it. Already going through such a process was an odd experience for the blue-haired boy.

Would he do anything about it though? No.

Esdeath said so herself that she wanted to experience love for herself. It was within his power to help her out, and so he decided to. He did care for his sister after all. Such an emotion was meant to be explored as it is supposed to be experienced different by every pair of people.

Tatsumi made the perfect scapegoat in the end as well since he filled out every bit of requirement the blue-haired sister had created…

Yes… Esdeath actually had a list of what she wanted in a man… It was quite a perplexing thing to be honest. The General of the Empire had always been a battle fanatic, dreaming for the greatest battle of her life. The only time he had known of her getting a single bit of that dream becoming a reality was when she broke his arm and him her leg.

But now with the desire of chasing after a man… Well in this case pretty much keeping them on a short leash rather than running after them at the moment, but that didn't matter right now. Perhaps it was just one of the very urges of humanity. Something that people desire after a given point of time.

What he thinking about before that little ran? Ah, yes, the list of what his sister wanted in a man.

First of all, the male must possess a deep well of untapped ability. Esdeath wished to mold that person into a person of General class ability. Second, they must be fearless; a person who could hunt the most dangerous species of the world with her. Third, they could not have been raised near the Capital. Just like her and him, must have been raised on the outskirts of the Empire. Four, will be under her direct control so they had to be younger. The fifth one, and probably one of the more questionable ones, one who had a pure and innocent smiling face… although it could be countered with the 'would be nice' bit to show that it may not exactly be required.

Although Minato could understand why Esdeath wanted these things.

The first was thanks to her partially bloodthirsty personality and beliefs. The weak perish while the strong survive. It was a shame that she lived by those rules. But perhaps it was so that if she would ever find the person that male would be unable to die and she would have no need to mourn.

Being able to hunt the most dangerous species? It was the way to go by for survival back where he and Esdeath came from. Maybe he should present an offer for the two of them to go hunting together soon. It could bring back some nostalgia while stalking their prey like they would do when they were children. Plus, it had been forever since they had done such an activity.

Third was also pretty understandable. When the two of them first arrived to the capital, Esdeath nearly had second thoughts about joining the Empire's army. Nearly everyone was considered weak, being ripe livestock for a slaughtering if someone were to go on a killing spree. Those outside the Capital on the other hand knew the hardships of survival, a trait she wanted to share.

Fourth… Well Esdeath was always the one who wanted to be more dominant in the end. It was her personality. It was in her nature.

Fifth… He already talked about this.

Perhaps he should retract the scapegoat comment he made about the brunette earlier. Tatsumi was a rather brave and strong boy for not being able to crack under all of this pressure already.

Tatsumi was also strong for not having his bones crushed by General Esdeath's tight grip yet.

 **PXA**

"Sir, the Emperor as requested for your presence."

Minato did not show any sort of reaction other than a straight face just as soon as he came back with the Jaegers. He just settled for staring at the servant that had been sent to bear such news for the blue-haired male who was the brother of the Empire's Strongest.

"…Very well." Minato nodded slowly. His sluggish reaction was due to the fact that Emperor Makoto had called him 'daddy' in his sleep. "Please lead the way."

"A personal audience with the Emperor, Brother?" Esdeath mused with a smile, feeling proud of her sibling. She always felt like he never felt like achieving anything over the years. "You are certainly climbing up in the ranks."

"Is that what you think?" He turned his head around and his eyes met his sister's. His were plain but Esdeath held a different emotion. A hand landed on his head and eyes slightly diverted up to see the female General placing the palm on top of his crown. He only nodded once which made the hand slide off, but he knew that his sister understood what that one action meant. Turning to the rest of the Jaegers and Tatsumi, he bowed. "Until we meet again."

With the exchange of farewells, he followed the servant as they both continued on at a normal pace. Rather than the throne room he had expected, Minato was lead to Makoto's bedroom. The blue-haired boy raised an eyebrow. The bedroom? This late at night? Usually it was better for children to sleep earlier for their health.

With a quiet knock, the servant leaned towards the door. "Your majesty," The person in the suit whispered quietly yet loud enough for someone to hear. "Sir Minato, brother of General Esdeath, is here."

It was as if his name were a signal. A word that one always looked forward to. Within seconds, the door opened to reveal the green-haired child in smooth, clean pajamas. "Ah, Mister Minato," Right after the fortune-teller said there was no need to call him 'mister'. "Come on in. Thank you so much for bringing him here." Makoto directed that second sentence to the servant that bowed before leaving.

"If I may be so curious," Minato began as he gently shut the door and Makoto was standing right in front of the older male. "Why did you want to see me?"

"You are nice." Makoto answered softly, turning around and walking over to a table where two chairs waited. Climbing into one of the seats, he shifted his bottom around to make his own person comfortable before continuing. "I don't know why, but I'm able to talk to you without people… umm… treating me like an Emperor."

"But you are." Minato stated.

Makoto folded him arms and seemed to pout. "But you're the only person to treat me like how my mother and father did. No one else around here does. When I was a small child, I learned that because of their position they were treated as such. Despite how close everyone would be, it felt like they actually were far away. At the other end of a chasm where I could not see the opposite side."

Hmm, so that's how it was. That does explain a lot about that… 'daddy' situation. But Minato could not blame Makoto. The Emperor was just s small child after all. The young man was not even a teenager was already was forced to carry the burdens and sins of the Empire. No child should have to do that. "That can' t be all. There has to be more that you want."

"…Why is the Empire like this?" Makoto asked.

Now that was a question he never expected from the Emperor. The young man, judging by the rumors and actually seeing it himself, was easily manipulated by the Prime Minister Honest. As stated by the colorful description the blue-haired man gave to the brunette, the fortune-teller was not exactly the fondest of the porky-adult.

"Just… why is there so much happening that is making people scared?" The tiny child continued on, taking Minato's silence as a gesture to continue on. "It never happened when father and mother were still alive and occupying the throne. People loved my parents. That made me want to be like them. But now… Everyone hates me. Why is it that people are killing each other? What is the cause of the Empire falling apart?"

"…There was once a tower," He finally said, "And within that tower, a boy sought to climb up the winding stairs." Makoto tilted his head, frowning with confusion and curiosity. "When he finally reached the top of the tower, a great power awaited him. Her name was Nyx and her purpose was the destruction of all mankind."

Obviously the young Emperor put some thought into this within a couple of seconds as Minato let it all sink in for the child's mind. "That… seems impossible. Something that unrealistic couldn't possibly exist… could it?"

"Impossible… unrealistic… The boy thought the same thing when he first learned of her existence." Minato nodded his head slowly. "Still, she existed, no matter how insane the issue may have sounded. With the help of his friends, he fought her. And when his friends could no longer aid him, he fought her alone. He defeated her. That was when he learned a terrible truth."

"A terrible truth?" Makoto repeated, engrossed with the tale. "What was it?"

"Nyx herself was neither hostile nor malevolent. She was a neutral entity. Something was making her initiate the Fall. Something was making her want to end humanity. His name was Erebus."

"Erebus…" The young Emperor whispered.

"He was the action, process, the result of a combination that was created by humanity's darkest thoughts, mankind's most negative emotions. When in contact with Nyx, his presence would awaken her, and she would resume her descent to end all creation." An unreadable expression made its way onto the speaker's voice. "In the end, it was not a foreign, malevolent deity that wanted to destroy humanity as the boy as his friends first thought. It was humanity that wanted to destroy humanity. It did not sit well with him, you understand. He had gone into battle armed with the belief that humanity's courage, loyalty, and compassion would be the reason for his victory and discovered that it was humanity's fear, treachery, and hatred that nearly brought about the end in the first place."

His sole audience watched the fortune-teller tap his fingers in thought. "…What are you trying to tell me?" Makoto asked.

"To protect courage, you would have to save fear. To guard loyalty, you would have to shelter treachery. To shield compassion, you would have to defend hatred." Minato looked towards the young man's eyes. "All the negative emotions of humanity are the cause of their owners' deaths. But you cannot rid one element without forcing the other out of balance. You, Emperor Makoto, have to realize that it is by your voice and mind that has to make the decisions. Not the council that stand in your chambers. Not the Prime Minister who stand by your throne. It is you alone."

"…Am I like Nyx then?" The child asked, leaning forward onto the table with his chin resting on his hands. His legs kicked back and forth as his feet didn't reach the ground. "You know… Just not being a person that is hostile or have bad intentions?"

"Perhaps." Minato answered with a straight face before changing the subject. "It is late. You have a big day ahead of you."

Makoto took some thought into those words and nodded in agreement. Scooting off the chair, the young Emperor waddled over to his bed and began to drag himself under the covers. "Minato… Do you think I'll ever be a good Emperor? People already hate me as I am now."

"Your past cannot be changed, forgotten, edited, or erased. It can only be accepted." Minato said slowly, causing Makoto's face to fall significantly. "But you can certainly change the future. I think you can grow up to be a great man. You just need to show independence."

The young boy's face brightened up as much as it could on an exhausted face. "Thank you, Minato." Makoto said quietly. "…What happened to the boy in that story you were telling me?"

Minato placed a hand to his chin to think. "He sacrificed himself. He gave up his life to become the seal that would prevent Erebus from reaching Nyx. And in that moment, as he breathed his last, he understood that saving the aspects of humanity he so admired would also mean saving the aspects of humanity he despised."

Once more, silence stretched out between the two and it was neither awkward nor strained. "I wish I could meet that boy." Makoto drawled out slowly, almost losing conscious due to fatigue. "He seems like… a nice… person…"

"…Yes…" Minato said quietly as the young Emperor fell asleep. "He was a nice person."

 **PXA**

Minato sent his fishing reel into the water casually while sitting at the edge of a rather large lake.

The bite came quick as he swiftly pulled on the fishing line and saw the wriggling prey flap around helplessly around in the air. Carefully bringing it over, he deposited the animal into a basket where countless others flopped around with futility.

Her certainly hoped for a great feast. The container was not exactly full and he had been around for at least an hour or so. Either this was a popular fishing spot or he was using bad bait. Perhaps both. It seemed that many wandered out into the mountains despite the fear of being robbed. The person who sold him the fishing supplies as well seemed to be an extremely shady despite their look as well.

Casting his line once more, he embraced the tranquil atmosphere. It was these silent moment in nature that he greatly appreciated. It allowed him to gather a lot more of his thoughts.

That moment was ruined however as he felt a pebble pelt him on the head once. Blinking, he wondered what kind of person would do such a thing. Turning so he could get a better look at who the culprit was, he was partially surprised.

"Yo! Fancy seeing you here, Minato!

Leone had her arm extended, proving that she was the one that threw the small rock. That smirk on her face was certainly a familiar sight despite this being only their third encounter. Yet she acted so familiar around him. Was it just her personality? Most likely.

"Hello to you too, Leone." Minato nodded, still keeping his hands on the pole that was in his grasp.

"So what brings you out here in the middle of nowhere?" The blonde asked as she took a seat right next to the blue-haired male.

Ah... digging, or fishing, for information. Or was it just curiosity? …He had to stop doing that. "I thought I might go fishing." He answered while staring out towards the water. "I haven't been getting many fortunes lately so I've had to resort to other measures for food."

Not really much a lie there. Minato had no recent readings that had him paid. Mainly because he had his attention brought to his sister and the Jaegers. But he still had a lot of money however. The fishing bit was just an activity he had not done for a while.

"Really? Man, that sucks." Leone sighed, nodding her head as if she understood. She also wore some sort of sage-like expression, as if an elder were listening to the troubles of the youth. "You look like you caught a lot already though. How long do you think that'll last?"

"A day at best."

"…Huh." Was all Leone managed before shrugging her shoulders. But then there was a quick change of the subject. "Your fortune came true."

"Is that so?" There was no surprise in his voice.

The blonde nodded. "Yeah. A recent friend of mine… disappeared for a bit. It was just like you said. Don't worry though, he's back and happy." She assured the blue-haired male. "There's one part that I can't get out of my head though… the Devil card you showed me. When will they show up?"

"Who knows?" Minato shrugged. "It could be hours… days… the time the fortune shall fulfill itself is always a mystery." So… it seems that Tatsumi had made his way back to Night Raid. Did that mean he was near their base? If not, then it was a huge coincidence if Leone saw him rather than be aware of his presence around their headquarters.

Leone hummed this time, unsure how to answer. She too settled for just staring out towards the lake. "You ever wonder how these situations just come into play? One moment you're going through your daily life and then the next shit just happens when you least expect it?"

"Perhaps it is just a question that cannot be answered." Minato replied back.

"I guess you're right." Leone breathed, resting her arms against her legs. "But man, life just works in weird ways, huh?"

Minato blinked as he realized that he was holding another full conversation with Leone. That was twice now. He really was being caught off-guard by the blonde's attitude to situations. "It would be boring otherwise, just plain. An empty shell with mindless people wandering its void surface."

"Maybe…" Leone sighed, leaning backwards and just settled for staring at the sky.

The two of them didn't even know how much time passed. Minato was too busy fishing. Leone meanwhile kept listening to the splashing of Minato's line. The day flew by, both of them not minding each other's company as one didn't disturb the other.

Leone turned her head and saw something strapped onto Minato's back. Subtly taking a closer look, she made out the shape to be a book. Now that she thought about it, Minato also had the book on his person as well when she made her appearance in the bar. Add in the fact that he was seen with General Esdeath eating ice-cream and Minato definitely made a person of interest. She would have to report this to Najenda sooner or later.

"Well, it's been nice hanging around with you, Minato. But I've got to go." Leone rolled to her feet. She purposely left out where she was going though. "See you soon!" With a wave of her arm, she ran off through the brush.

…That way led nowhere to the Capital.

He had a feeling dwell inside him. Pulling the rod out of the water, he looked to the basket to see that it was only halfway full. Placing the pole down, Minato rose to his feet and after a backwards, longing look to the fishing equipment and the fruits of his labors still on the ground, he stepped after Leone.

 **P.S The story that Minato told Makoto is from** **A Demon Among Devils**

 **No flames please.**

 **Please review so I know what you guys think.**

 **If you have any questions, feel free to ask.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own the Persona series or Akame ga Kill. Everything belongs to their respected owners.**

The forest area he recognized. He had walked through it many times when he felt like it. He had never strayed too far from the actual road though. The greenery provided amazing cover for those wishing to stalk and ambush their target or prey. Trunks of solid trees scattered around the forest, each of them standing strong and tall like natural guardians.

But he was not on the usual road he would walk along.

Minato was actually within the vast brush, walking through shrubs and keeping his steps silent. It was neat how he could perform such skills as he and his sisters were hunters in their own different senses. When they were children, the blue-haired General always liked the thrill o watching prey that was about to be slaughtered by her. Minato mainly tagged along because everyone else was busy and he had a feeling that Esdeath would like the company.

Continuing his walk, he made sure to be wary of who he was trying to follow. Leone continued to stroll through the woods like it was nothing. It honestly made Minato a little suspicious. Was the blonde purposely leading him to the hideout, or was she completely unaware of his presence. If it was the first, he really needed to work on his footing. If it was the latter, he wondered if all assassins of Night Raid were like this.

Such killers never acted like blood-thirsty murders anyways. That's a good thing as it keeps their own head clear and there was no actual danger of them just going around slaughtering whoever they wanted. If he could tell one thing from the few seconds he stared at them back at Aria's house, it would be… normal.

Looking down on the ground and bending his knees, he picked up a small twig and saw that it had been snapped in half thanks to the pressure of someone's foot. Minato raised an eyebrow. This was not the light footstep of an assassin as he actually compared it to a previous branch that he found which Leone stepped on.

Leone's step may have broken the wood, but it was so that it did not completely snap the twig. The wood still connected itself. This new wood on the other hand was broken clean off by the weight. Either this person was completely unaware of their steps, was stupid, or had much confidence.

Not wanting to think about those last parts, Minato continued his tracking of the blonde by following the path that she had taken. It didn't take long though as he found himself staring at a large cliff.

But this was no ordinary cliff. No… it had a giant mouth like a beast. Within the mouth looked like some sort of building made out of stone. The rocky fortress was within sights as was the blonde casually strolling in through some cave.

…Seriously… This was Night Raid's hideout? Sure… it was a while off of the main road and decently far from the capital but… It was just so obvious. Maybe many would mistake it for a bandit camp. Even adding that fact in, that appearance would attract attention once in the line of anybody's sight. The hideout was hidden, he'll at least give it that.

Minato took two steps forward and stopped right away. Bending forward for a closer look, he noticed it. Several wires were tied to various trees and tangled themselves along other various surfaces. He had to admit, that was a pretty interesting trick. But what were those strings used for? Honestly, he'd rather not test that out right now.

So this was where he was now stuck within a rock and a hard place… Well, not exactly. He could actually leave right now and still have the knowledge of where Night Raid's base was. But then there was a small feeling within him that he should stay. Looking back and forth to the hideout and the direction of the capital, his hand reached for the book strapped to his back.

Grabbing the object and opening its blank pages, a single card popped out and spun around. Light blue sprinkled down the flat presenter. Watching the card dance, Minato saw what it was as he was certainly familiar with such. A tower was being struck by lightning, from which two small figures fall down.

With the Tower arcana appearing, Minato sighed to himself and sat down.

Trying to make himself comfortable, he felt like also at least wanting to find a way to know what was at least going on around him to make sure he was not caught off-guard. As the XVI card dropped back into the book, Minato called forth a new arcana.

The woman stood beautifully through a hole in the ground as she stared to the side. Her clothing was of importance as she stood straight and firm. The mysterious colors gave such an even better appearance. Seeing the II on the bottom of the card, he knew it was the right one.

"Juno." He broke the card within the palm of his hand. At once, he felt someone cover him. It crawled over his skin, devouring his clothing. Minato did not fight it however, continuing to let the mysterious feeling continue its course.

Soon, the blue-haired boy wore a full white-mask with no mouth or nose pieces at all. There was nothing for the eyes as well since seven of them were already plastered onto the accessory.. A pair of metal wings sprouted from his back, each with the design that looked like three eyes per wing staring with intensity. His upper clothing had turned red, as a coat also fluttered down to touch the ground. Blue pants covered his bottom half, easily complimenting the final look.

Crossing his legs, a blue bubble grew from his core and just covered his entire being. Though he could still see despite the mask covering his face, he did not open his eyes. With what he was doing, he could see it all. The wildlife scurrying away from the hideout. The assassins of Night Raid drinking and eating. The third surprised him.

It was Stylish with a group of what looked like… males ready for a bondage session…

His sights diverted from that final gang as he was afraid that weird thoughts may appear in his head-

Damn… Too late, it happened.

Back to Night Raid though, Minato saw Leone drinking for a rather large mug and who appeared to be Tatsumi being held under her arm and his face shoved into her chest. The next few he had to remember.

The only other male amongst group was a young man with shoulder-length green hair, green eyes and red goggles on top of his head. He wore a long green jacket with a fur trimmed hood over a white and red ringer shirt and blue jeans with brown shoes. Not much could be said for this person as it looked like they whined a lot.

Finally, there were only females left. The first was a rather young girl that looked short. She had very long pink-hair tied in twin-tails on the right and left sides of her head. Pink eyes… Pink outfit… Pink, pink, and more pink. That's all this girl wore? If Minato remembered correctly, this was Mine judging from the wanted posters. What sort of person wears this much of a color? It could easily be part of their look, but reports mentioned from Esdeath said that she was a sniper no less. How do people not notice her?

Finally, there was one of the more infamous assassins, Akame. Her long black hair and red eyes complimented her dark sleeveless mini dress with a white collar and red tie. The red belt on her waist helped hold up a red side skirt cover. Really… her looked reminded him of Kurome. Given the fact that they were sisters explained a lot.

However, his vision began to blacken. That meant that he was going to fall asleep soon. No one was detected from his scouting, so that meant that his own body fatigue was taking over. Well, practically wandering around without a body perhaps did that.

Oh no… everything was turning black… He could open his eyes if he wanted to, but they felt really heavy. His brain better not shut down… His brain better not do that… His brain…

For once in his life, Minato's brain had failed him and the blue-haired male took a nap.

 **PXA**

Yawning, Minato's visible eye widened as he realized that he had been asleep.

He really wanted to kick himself for this. What sort of person falls asleep in the middle of unknown territory anyways? Explorers, fighters, hunters, bandits… He hated the fact that the list could go on.

His sights however were on the sky as he saw something flying in the air. Seeing how he was on his back, he pushed himself off of the ground and began to close his eyes once more. Again, his vision took him beyond his body.

Judging by the size and look of such an object, it appeared to be an Air Mantis. On top on such a beast was a completely different matter though. Two figures covered in cloaks held their balance as the beast continued to fly through the air and around the base. There was one more person though that caught his eye.

It appeared to be Najenda, former General of the Empire. This woman and his sister never really saw eye to eye. No pun intended due to the white-haired female missing one thanks to Esdeath. Najenda was one of the few army members to realize that they could have made a possible difference by betraying their allies and becoming their enemies. Imagine Minato's surprise when Esdeath would talk about the former-General with a bit of praise.

But then it clicked in his head. What about the other Night Raid members? Scanning around, it appeared that they were surrounded by many of Stylish's enhanced soldiers. What was an incredible odd thing however was that almost all of the assassins began to collapse onto the ground. All but the armored one, which he assumed to be Tatsumi, had fallen.

Not only the killers however. Stylish's test subjects also were on the ground as well, slowly inching back up. Speaking of which, what was that doctor doing around these parts in the first place. Did his sister even know of his presence here in the wild?

…Most likely not. If she was aware, then all of the Jaegers would have been sent and a giant death match would have ensued.

As for the reason Stylish was here in the first place. Perhaps he had several of his test subjects follow Tatsumi. Stylish did brag about how he had enhanced several senses on a few people, examples being their sight, hearing, and smell. It made the blue-haired male want to stay away from the homo-doctor even further than before.

Back to the fight however, he wondered if he should lend a hand. This was Night Raid after all. Their actions constantly targeted those that were perhaps some of the most disgusting people he had even seen or met through his entire life. So… yes, maybe he will give some aid.

Watching the assassins shakily stand up, Minato brought himself back to his body and snapped his eyes open. With his gaze forward, he saw that they were all right in front of him. Perhaps it was some sort of poison that was affecting them. That was a trick that stylish would pull off.

Raising his hands into the air, he felt the energy of this performance slowly take effect.

The members of Night Raid were all surprised when they felt their energy coming back to them. whatever had been bringing them to exhaustion had suddenly been negated to bring them back to their old selves.

But it seemed that Minato's hand was completely unnecessary and some sort of person dropped down from the sky and landed on the ground. Looks like they came from the Air Mantis that Najenda was flying on. The most intriguing thing was that within seconds the man had torn through the mutated army like it was nothing with such strength.

Several explosions soon were set off. They were powerful enough however that Minato found himself rolling backwards. He would have gone on for a couple of seconds it something didn't catch him. Craning his head, his eyes blinked when he saw a few stands of wire stopping his spinning trip.

It appears that he was going to learn what those wires were for.

Not a second later, he heard someone shouting where he was. Looks like such threads detected enemy movement. Why didn't he set them off before then? Maybe because Leone took a much safer route? Those thoughts could be saved for later as he heard two people coming after him. He didn't want to be caught right in the middle. That was certain.

His 'Juno' outfit soon disappeared as he shifted back into his old clothing. He acted quick though as he was a lot faster than he would have liked by drawing his next card. Now this arcana… two people knelt down in front of a grand symbol. Next to such were two keys that floated in the air as if ready to unlock whatever mysteries awaited. The emblem V stood proudly below.

"Castor." Breaking the card, he felt himself change once more.

His blue hair turned blonde and cascaded down his back to his waist with a white skull mask covering his face. Wearing some interesting armor plating over a black outfit, the head of a spear was embedded in his chest yet he was unaffected. Looking down, his feet didn't touch the ground and that he was sitting in a metal saddle. That was because some sort of horse was carrying him.

This horse was particularly odd though. For one, it had no skin or flesh. It was made of metal as the bones were the only source of a main body. Black and grey armor chose to color the interesting creature as a horn threatened to skewer.

As soon as Minato's transformation was complete, two members of Night Raid had shown up. It was the green-haired male and Leone who now looked like she was affected by her Teigu. Her hair was much longer with several new lion features including two ears, a tail, and claws.

The former blue-haired boy floated calmly as he examined the Night Raid members in front of him. He stayed silent. "Who are you?" Leone first asked, lowering herself and getting ready for a fight. "You're a long way from the main road, buddy. And you don't look like a normal guy."

Once more, Minato chose not to speak. His choice apparently had several thin thread tighten around him. Minato simply looked over at the one controlling the wires. Were these the ones that he set off? Impressive.

"Not talking, huh?" The male asked in a bored tone. With a twitch of his fingers, the threads began to tighten. "How about now? I could do this all day."

Minato could really feel the wires now digging against him. Too bad that it wasn't really affecting him. But it looked like he couldn't get out without a fight. Without a word once more, Minato flexed his body before spreading his arms open. The green haired teen watched on with widened eyes as his wire was ripped apart with pure strength. Nothing appeared to even be harmed on Minato in the first place.

"Impossible!" Lubbock yelled as he drew a new set of threads. "How is he unaffected?!" He grumbled to himself.

Grabbing a set of reins on his horse and snapping them, his stead charged forward towards Leone. The lion woman smirked as she rushed at the incoming figure. The two of them collided with one another as the horse thing rammed right into Leone's fists. The impact created a shockwave and caused the ground under Leone to crack. The blonde grunted as she struggled to match the strength of Minato's horse. She could feel the bones in her right arm breaking from the force behind the attack.

Minato soon turned around and lifted his hands to catch all the wires that were suddenly sent to him. Eyeing Lubbock, the green-haired teen smirked as he thought that he had Minato. But it appeared to do nothing though as it didn't cut through the male's fingers. Feeling himself being pulled into the air, Lubbock found himself meeting a fist to his face and knocking the boy out.

Floating backwards, Minato hopped off his horse just as Leone caught up with him and they began to trade blows at speeds where they almost looked like blurs. Every single one of Leone's punches were matched by Minato as they danced to a deadly ballet. It went on until something completely out of the blue happened…

His strike missed and ended up groping Leone's breast.

"…" Leone raised an eyebrow as her opponent immediately stopped moving as soon as their hand touched her chest.

"…Ah." Was Minato's only reaction as he didn't even squeeze his hand together. Neither one of the combatants didn't even bother retaliating against one another. The male found himself just slowly bringing his hand back and staring at the palm. "Oops."

Wind swirled around Leone's fist as she cocked it back. Her left foot stomped on the ground as she got ready to punch the blue-haired male with all her might. Minato snapped out of his stupor and caught her by the wrist with ease and followed by throwing her. He would have continued on, but then he remembered that he at least wanted to avoid conflict.

… Which really makes him wonder why he followed Leone in the first place.

With this smallest pause, Leone managed to catch on that Lubbock was out cold. Getting back up, she scratched her nose. "Wow, you're good, Minato. That was some interesting skills."

Despite the skull mask, Minato blinked. "…" He shouldn't even bother denying it. This was a Night Raid assassin he was talking to. But there was still the risk of his identity being exposed to the other members of such a organization. "How did you find out?" He asked.

"The way you smell." She responded. Leone could easily tell that Minato deadpanned before actually sniffing his clothing a few time to check if his scent was bad. She laughed lightly at the way he acted. "Not like that. Your smell is different right now, but before you became like that it was interesting… I'm not sure how to describe it."

"How were you able to know my smell?" Minato asked, still floating on his legless-horse just in case he needed to make a quick getaway.

"Simple, my Teigu Lionel helps amplify my sense of smell." Leone gestured to herself with her beastly thumb. "Earlier today, I got a whiff just before strolling up to you."

Really? Wow he must have been extremely unaware of his surroundings when he was fishing. "Are you going to try and kill me?" Minato asked.

"Well… That depends." The blonde stretched her arms. "You want to become a member of Night Raid?"

"No." Was Minato immediate response.

The blonde scratched her head with her reply. "Aww, that's too bad. I'm pretty sure you'd fit in quiet well. I've wanted to try and get to know some more new people as well." She added.

Once more, Minato realized that he was having a full conversation with Leone. She was really good at making him talk a lot more than he preferred most of the time. Before he could respond though, the ground shook. What caused that? A couple seconds of him looking around had him set sights on what looked like a giant Danger Beast lying on the ground. "…How did I not notice that?" He asked.

Leone shrugged. "Beats me." She answered looking towards the sight which Minato had his eyes set on. "I think you might want to run if you don't want to get caught." Just as this suggestion came up, the two of them saw the other members of Night Raid running to their location.

He looked towards her eyes. "Are you going to tell the others?"

She shook her hand. "Nah. That'll most likely place a target on you head if I do. Saying that it's too dangerous having a stranger running around with such knowledge. But I think you're a trustworthy guy."

Minato nodded his head and was about to ride away when Leone called his name. Turning around, the blonde winked at him. "Want another feel before leaving?"

Her response was him riding away. Leone chuckled.

 **PXA**

Minato yawned as he found himself walking among the castle grounds of the Empire once more.

It was now midday and yet Minato still felt tired. He felt like sleeping, but then he felt like visiting his sister once again to see how she was doing. Maybe even tell her about Stylish. He of course would have to lie about the fact that he has had interactions with the Night Raid assassins.

He may have family that was a part of the Empire, but Minato still had the right to make his own decisions. That still did not negate that he didn't exactly like lying to Esdeath.

Speaking of her, the blue-haired male saw the blue-haired female walking along the grand halls with her cap covering her eyes. "Sister." Minato greeted with a small bow.

"Ah, Brother, another visit?" Esdeath's face revealed itself with an amused look and smile. "You should really consider moving in here with me and the Jaegers. It would save you many trips. Plus, I think they all enjoy your company." She commented.

"Really?" Minato asked with a tilt of his head of thought. Wave spoke to him like a friend. He and Run had conversations from time to time. Seryu would constantly be talking about justice as the blue-haired male would nearly fall asleep. Both he and Kurome would interestingly enough fight over the food, much to his disbelief. Bols would also hold some conversations with Minato as well. "…I guess you can say that."

Esdeath only sighed and ruffled his hair. An action which he responded with a stare. "You always have been a lonely person since we moved to the Capital. It's nice to see you interacting with the others."

That smile on his sister's face though caught his attention. "Sister, did something happen?"

Esdeath's face fell. "There's no use in hiding it, hmm?" She asked as her happy expression completely reversed. "You always have been able to read me like a book so easily."Sighing, she placed her chin onto her fingers while taking a seat on a nearby bench. "Tatsumi ran away from me yesterday." She began as Minato took a seat as well. "I attempt to search for him, but it proved to be futile. As the other Jaegers gathered for their reports, Stylish was not among them. I had the others search the doctor's laboratory and we all figured out that he was killed."

So that was the fate of Stylish. Minato did actually wonder what happened to the homo in the end.

"He was still a comrade in the end, right?" The blue-haired male asked as Esdeath nodded her head slowly. The both of them continued to sit in silence. The both of them didn't even know how much time passed. He then placed his hand right onto top of hers.

Feeling the contact, Esdeath looked towards the connecting flesh before staring at her brother's eyes. Once more, they were blank. But she learned to read these expressions over the years. A smile broke out on her face. It was not a fake one. It was real. "Thank you." She nodded her head quietly and Minato nodded his own as well. Standing up, she patted his head once more. "See you soon, Brother."

"Until we meet again, Sister." Minato replied back, still sitting on the bench. Craning his head, he felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards seeing the rather content expression on his sister's face.

"Ah, Mister Minato!"

Blinking, the blue-haired male turned his head around and saw the young Emperor standing next to him. How was it as of late everyone has been managing to appear right beside him and he was not aware of it. "Your majesty." Minato nodded his head. He originally would have bowed but then a pout from the child when he did that made him realize that he should not do that anymore.

However, Makoto pouted once more. "It's Makoto."

Minato shrugged. "What are you doing out here?" He asked with curiosity.

"There is no meeting as within my schedule I am free until dinner." Makoto explained easily. "There is almost nothing to do but study since I must continue to present my image as Emperor." He propped himself up on the bench which Minato was still sitting on. "Still… I wonder how the Capital is doing…" The young boy sighed as she stared towards the clear sky. "Prime Minister Honest says I'm doing a good job… but so much chaos says otherwise. I've been trying to make my own decisions just like you say, Mister Minato, but I feel like I need to do more."

Minato continued to listen on. Makoto certainly had a lot to bear on his shoulders. He pitied the boy. There should have been no reason for the young man to have to take up the throne of the Empire. The blue-haired male was then snapped out of his thoughts when a new look dawned on the young Emperor's face. "…What are you thinking?" He asked.

"You can help sneak me out of the castle!" Makoto exclaimed.

…If he did that, wouldn't he be arrested?

 **Yeah… I really did not like writing this chapter. I wanted there to be more… But that would end up screwing a couple of things over.**

 **No flames please.**

 **Please review so I know what you guys think.**

 **If you have any questions, feel free to ask.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own the Persona series or Akame ga Kill. Everything belongs to their respected owners.**

Honestly, he couldn't believe he was doing this.

Minato was walking down the streets populated by the many citizens of the Empire. It would have been a normal day for him. Women would be seducing men for a living whenever a male would be near or pass by the brothel where they work. Children had to pickpocket or do their best to find work in order to survive off of the streets. Guards frequently abusing their position and harming the innocents were a sight that was not new to him.

His presence was like a ghost as he seamlessly made his way through the crowds, not disturbing or coming into physical contact with any of them. It was as if he never existed in the first place. No one took notice of him and he was completely fine with that. They were busy and so was he. They didn't disturb him, he didn't disturb them. It was a situation that benefitted one another.

Looking down to his right arm, a single bag hung down from his wrist with his hand stuffed into his pocket. The sack was still filled and had some weight to notify him that it was still full. But Minato opened it up again for about the fifth time to see if all of the proper contents were inside. He was indeed wary of pickpockets. Not that they could steal from him. It never hurt to make sure though.

Good. Not a single bit of cloth was out of place.

Continuing his walk, he eventually found his presence at the gates of the Empire's castle. Easily being identified, he was given permission to pass on through the gates. He was alone throughout his travelling as he now had memorized the entire castle grounds.

His destination was Emperor Makoto's bedroom.

Minato sighed to himself as once more, he could not believe he was doing this. Ever since Makoto's idea of the fortune-teller sneaking he boy out of the castle, that one thought was always on his mind no matter what he did. He didn't know why those words stuck to him like glue.

Knocking on the door to the sleeping area of the young Emperor, Minato immediately looked down as he saw the knob turn. It had become a habit of his since Makoto was still only a child after all. His neck would always end up still after long periods of staring at the child and he actually had to have his sister both massage and pop that part of the body a few times.

"Minato, you're here!" Makoto exclaimed with a bit of excitement as the young boy peeked out of the crack of the open door before swinging it wide open.

Good news was that the boy finally stopped calling him 'mister'.

"Yes I am." Minato nodded slowly before taking a few steps into the bedroom. Now that he thought about it, this was a regular meeting place between him and Makoto. Perhaps the reason was that this room was one of the only places that the young Emperor was able to have any sort of privacy. Being the Emperor did mean that you were exposed in many different areas.

Lifting up the bag, he handed it over to the boy. Makoto eagerly held the bottom of the sack as if it were something precious. "Thank you." The boy nodded before lifting the bag off of Minato's arms and scurrying off towards his bed. Makoto immediately dumped the contents out in a rather ungentlemanly manner by turning the bag upside down and scattering its contents that were inside.

On the bed was a modified dark-blue collar tight jacket with short sleeves with and cross emblems and black fingerless gloves wit blue guards. A pair of black trousers was also presented with a blue belt, and black-blue boots with metal guards.

It didn't exactly seem like much, but Makoto's eyes seemed to sparkle at the sight. "Do you like it?" Minato asked as he saw the child staring at the clothing. He had gotten such clothes at actually a good price. Surprisingly, it was cheaper than it looked. The older male mainly bought it on a whim since he thought that Makoto would look better in black and blue.

Makoto furiously nodded his head like a child had just gotten a present… Oh wait, that was the case. Well, the young Emperor was extremely happy about this gift. Just as Makoto picked up all of the clothing that littered his bed, he scurried over to a giant board made of wood that was meant for changing.

Minato on the other hand turned around when the young boy started to take off his clothing. If the boy ran for cover to get changed, then the older man would respect such wishes and not look. It was common for people at such a young age to be embarrassed over being half-naked in front of the same gender. Or course, it was the same for some adults, but that's beside the point.

"I'm finished." Makoto notified Minato as the boy had finally finished changing.

The blue-haired male turned around. "…Hmm." Minato hummed in thought as Makoto was now in clothing that looked extremely different from royal garbs. Rather, Makoto looked like he was ready for a fight with that sort of apparel on his person. "You don't look that bad."

"Yes… That is true…" Makoto trailed off slowly as he studied his own look. His eyes looked down onto his own body before walking over to a mirror that was set up near the bed. Taking a gander at his own image, there was now a curious expression. "I look… different." For a lack of a better expression at the time he was correct.

Once more, Minato could not believe he was going to be doing this right now.

The plan was to sneak the young Emperor out of the castle. Forget the thought about the possibility of being arrested even though it could happen. Makoto or even his sister could easily bail him out of jail within a snap of their fingers. That phrase could even be in a literal sense as the General could use her ice powers or it was by the Emperor's orders.

How to sneak the boy out… well…

Makoto was already ready however. Walking over towards his bedside table, he quickly remembered something before scampering over towards the door. Turning a small knob, the boy locked the wooden barrier before scurrying back to the desk where a single lamp stood. Twisting the light source, there was a small click and Makoto pulled the string.

Not even a second passed when the wall next to the bedside table shifted and popped open like a normal door. As it slowly swung open, a barely audible creak squeaked like a silent mouse. Behind the wall was a passage, made of stone and swallowed by an endless darkness.

The young Emperor easily explained yesterday that his parents had shown him such a secret when he was younger just in case bad things would happen and he would need a place to hide. The previous Emperor and the Queen informed the young boy that it would lead straight into the public Capital near the gates of the city. How such a secret was created had died along with the parents.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Makoto asked with childish excitement. At his age, despite his status of having to be formal, he could wait for such an adventure as he hopped through the hidden passage and waited for Minato to follow.

The blue-haired male settled for staring at the young boy. Such an eager look was on the young Emperor's face. Why was he even doing this again?

Oh right… Because of that card.

Within the darkness of a cave, one cannot see clearly. With only a lantern at hand, may the holder be able to witness all that would be revealed. Requiring great courage to look at oneself honestly, and forge one's own path… The IX glaring like a sunken treasure box…

The Hermit arcana.

 **PXA**

Blocks of buildings loomed over them as they wandered the streets. Towering people dotted the entrances to various establishments. The creeping shadow of the poor, sprawled on the ground in startling abundance.

All of these and more bothered the young Emperor. The buildings and the people. All of it. It scared Makoto since this existed in what was technically the city that he personally ruled. But everyone down here acted as if is was so normal, so ordinary as it was the replacement of something that had been engraved in his mind since his turn of rule. It was reality and preconceived notions clashing in his mind, fighting a war for dominance and reality was steadily winning.

It had only been half an hour, and in that time, Minato made sure to keep an extremely close eye on the young Emperor as he guided the boy through the winding streets filled with a mixture of pleasant-looking rich homes compared to broken-poor buildings. Minato looked down to see absolute disbelief on Makoto's face as the boy continued to travel. That time was also spent explaining, not much illuminating, and at the end of those thirty minutes Makoto was too happy that Minato didn't elaborate.

This city was just one among dozens, possibly hundreds of places to live located around the Empire?

This place was shrouded in an aura of perpetual darkness, a gloomy dimness that covered its entire expanse. The people who existed under the murkiness before were used to its depressing touch due to their unfortunate lives. They were miserable under its influence, wishing for a happy future and one where the Revolutionary Army would win.

It came to an even more unfortunate and extreme moment of displeasure when the duo happened to look up. The sad thing was that it was the first sight that actually made them pause and stare. Makoto pointed at it shakily, the sight the child was not quite sure he was seeing, before expression his disbelief in four simple words.

"That was a man."

By his side, Minato nodded solemnly.

"Yes it was."

Makoto was confused.

"That was a man with a woman."

Minato closed his eyes.

"Yes it was."

Makoto blinked with a puzzled expression.

"That was a man with his thing… And the woman… They liked it…"

Minato did his best to keep a straight face as the urge for a storm of twitching eyebrows were coming right up. Did he have to have the talk with Makoto? He hoped he didn't have to. The last time that happened was when he was about the young Emperor's age thanks to his and his sister's father.

What a talk that was. His dad just had to be sure to cover everything. Once the basics were amply explained, the older man started adding deviation on the subject to his son ranging from positions to things like threesomes, foursomes, orgies, gang bangs, gay, lesbian, futa as well as asphyxiophilia, catheterrophilia, kleptophilia, morphophilia, necrophilia (Which he could not believe was a thing), somnophilia, stigmatophilia, urophilia (To his disgust one of the villagers actually was addicted to such), zoophilia and several other sexual atrocities that the human mind couldn't and shouldn't comprehend.

It didn't help that Makoto looked up towards Minato with one of the most innocent faces the older male would ever see in his life. "Minato…" The boy slowly trailed off curiously. "If I stick my wee-wee into a girl, does that mean she would like it?"

There were no words Minato could say to express his exasperation because quite frankly, he couldn't think up of any.

Wait, one just came up now.

Thank goodness the Prime Minster had never gotten to this subject yet.

 **PXA**

The two of them decided settle at a café after a couple of hours. It was a shop clearly built for those who possessed more refined tastes, and both the furnishings and food reflected that. It was a rather relaxing place, an area purposely located just near the gate to avoid the worst of the Capital. Their seats were placed in the front court outside and they found it soothing to sit back despite having to observe the various people bustling to and fro about their daily lives.

Minato took a sip from his cup as the seat beside him was empty. He blinked. Where did Makoto run off to? But those thoughts soon ended after a couple of seconds when the boy was seen running back from the streets. "Where were you?" He asked the child who climbed into his seat.

"Just wandering around." Makoto shrugged as he began to drink his juice. But the casual look soon began to drop as the young Emperor looked down. He struggled, but then he eventually let it leak. It only started with one. But then it multiplied by two… then three… Warms tears poured out with a sniff. "I… I'm really a worthless Emperor, aren't I?" He trembled, shaking like a leaf in a storm. "I want to protect my Kingdom, but how do I do that now? I no longer know who to trust."

A hand gently patted Makoto's face with a napkin. As the boy looked up, Minato's expression was still straight yet it was slightly softer than usual as he brushed the tears. "Do not trust the people who have deceived you. Do not trust them for what they have done to you and your Kingdom. That is something normal. But don't let those feelings have you distrust everything and everyone else. You are a better person than that."

The young boy looked at him for a while. Sniffling, Makoto shook his head. "You sound too wise for your age." Makoto commented with a tiny smile, wiping his eyes with his own napkin. "You are always so stoic and calm. I've always thought that was because you wanted to present an intimidating presence due to being General Esdeath's brother. Now I know it's just who you are as a person."

Minato shrugged. "Better than being very apathetic to things."

"True." Makoto commented, swallowing more of his beverage. "I've wanted to try and make my own decisions, but it is still tough. I am the Emperor. If I am unable to perform my tasks without confidence, what sort of ruler am I?"

"Just being the Emperor alone will not be enough." The blue-haired male answered with his mouth hidden behind his glass. "Just take a look around." He gestured. "Do you think the Capital would be good enough with only one person? No, one would need much more. How about an army? Many men would be required. What about an ant colony? Their numbers are the reason they can create such an amazing colony. Remember that you are not alone, your majesty."

Makoto meanwhile was absorbing all of this information. With rather owlish eyes, he watched Minato rant about how to be able to properly rule. Well, not properly. It may just end up being a tip about how to be a good person in general.

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Minato saw the look on Makoto's face slightly fall. "You're young. You are still learning."

 **PXA**

Minato hoped that Makoto enjoyed his free time as the two of them emerged from the secret passage back into the young Emperor's room. Not a single bit was changed. Everything was in order just as they had first left it. Even the door was unaffected as Minato unlocked it. Nobody even suspected that they were gone.

"Minato…" Makoto spoke out softly.

Minato turned around slowly and looked down towards the boy who he had just spent most of the day with. The child inched closer and closer to the male who continued to stand patiently with nowhere to go at the moment. Soon enough, Makoto hugged Minato.

He tried to keep his face as straight as possible once more to avoid a slightly uncomfortable look. He was not exactly the type of person to hug others. It was not his way. He didn't mind them, but it was something he'd rather avoid if possible. Makoto's arm seemed only to grow tighter when he tried to wriggle free.

He sighed and patted the boy's shoulders awkwardly. He guessed it was what he was supposed to do in a situation like this.

"Thank you." Makoto whispered quietly before breaking apart.

Just at that moment, such timing seeming rather perfect, Esdeath happened to pass by and notice the two of them together. "Ah, your majesty." She bowed before looking up towards her sibling. "And you too, Brother. I did not expect for you to be in the Emperor's company." She did take note of the new clothing that the child was wearing and how Minato was standing right next to him.

"Minato is a rather nice person to be with." Makoto commented as he smiled with a pleased look.

A smile also grew on the General's face. "Yes, he can be. One just has to break past that stony look." She mused as Minato indeed was just staring flatly due to them speaking as if he were not right next to them. "Brother, are you free right now?"

Minato slowly nodded.

"What do you need Minato for, General?" Makoto asked with curiosity.

"It's been a while since I've seen my Brother ever hunt or fight. Although his display of skill was good against Kurome, I still must see if he has actually been slacking off." Esdeath commented.

Now that was just mean. She was just assuming things. Although Minato knew that this was his sister's way of making sure that he was strong enough to survive. Despite her not seeming to care about the death of her clan, she indeed mourns for them. She wanted to make sure that he was fine on his own. "Very well." Minato nodded.

With subtly he quickly shoved Makoto out of the way as Esdeath suddenly had her rapier drawn in an attempt to slash Mianto's legs. The male knew that she aimed lower than normal to avoid hurting the Emperor, but Mianto still wanted the child to stay a safe distance away.

Rushing past his sister, Minato found himself running backwards as he had to avoid each thrust and cut from his sister's onslaught of fury. He knew that she was not aiming to kill him, but that didn't mean she wouldn't hurt him. He hopped left and right, up and down as he retreated down the halls of the castle until they were near the training grounds where the Jaegers happened to be at that moment.

"Whoa, what the hell?!" Wave exclaimed as he saw Minato get into his sister's arm reach only to be shove away from the woman.

An excited look was on Esdeath's face as she could feel the adrenaline and anticipation grow within her body. It had been a long time since she had faced her brother. The last time had ended up with the both of them with broken bones and nearly dead. But that was only due to them being extremely serious and as a decision if Minato should stay within the castle or not.

For that duel, the blue-haired male had turned out to be the victor due to his Teigu being able to heal him. Since he had cured himself first before his sister, he had technically been the last one standing before fixing Esdeath as well.

But now was different. This was a light spar. The both of them knew one was to going to put in much effort as the next. But it was still going to be a bit of an intense battle.

He knew that Esdeath was strong. In fact, she was going to be much stronger than before. But what sort of strength should he fight back with? Should he fight against her ice or her physical abilities? Perhaps physical due to not wanting to burn the palace grounds down.

With a finger tracing the pages of his book, the Hanged Man arcana came out with ease and obedience. He stared at it, considering his options. He could always go for another card, but this was a blade fight he was also aiming for. "Attis."

Bandages began to wrap all over his person. Leg, stomach, chest, head, everything was tangled but his eyes and even some hair presented itself. Two demon hors poked out from the top of his head just like a bull. Within his hands was a short sword that curved and looked similar to a dagger of sorts. This transformation was plain. But one must never judge a book by its cover.

"Are you ready, Brother?" Esdeath asked.

"Whenever you are, Sister." Minato responded.

The General turned her head as she glanced towards all of the Jaegers that had paused in the middle of what they were doing. "All of you watch us. Especially you, Kurome. You could learn a thing or two from Minato."

In his new persona, the blue-haired male could feel the assassin's eyes bore into his being. He kept his eyes focused on Esdeath however due to not wanting to be caught off-guard. Just like his fight against the female teen, Minato began to bounce on one foot up and down before rushing forward.

Raising his blade and using it to for a couple of shops, Esdeaath raised her rapier to block the attacks before trying to slash Minato. Stepping out of one cut before leaping away from another, Minato stepped forward to deflect attacks before spinning around for a slash. His sister however easily slid down to the ground and back up before dragging her blade along the floor in an attempt for another sneaky attack.

Minato avoided this by running towards the wall and kicking off the vast surface. Doing this, his strength with gravity while coming down for an overhead strike still did not affect Esdeath as she held her ground and the two of them clashed once more.

When they locked blades, Esdeath dragged Minato in. Twisitng his body, he attempted to grab her clothing but then the General released her grip and took long and fast strides away from her brother only to turn around and see that he had kicked off the wall again and tried to attack her with a similar fashion like before.

Landing on the ground, Minato decided to take the offensive as he rushing his sister. As their blades hit one another, Esdeath ran past her brother. In response, Minato reached his arm out and grabbed a stone pillar. With the speed behind his previous run, he swung around the column before attacking Esdeath once more with the General running backwards. His blade constantly hit her rapier but with no intent on hitting her body.

With the combination of running backwards while having to keep her strength up against Minato's furious attacks caused Esdeath to stumble a bit but quickly get back up and she stomped on the ground and jumped towards the wall only to run along it and get past her brother. Holding up her rapier to block a couple more furious blows, she began to run forward down the halls along the dirt of the training around.

Minato however did not leave her alone as he was running along the halls within the actually building. Leaping into the air, his arm reached out and grabbed another pillar. With a swinging motion once more, he cut off Esdeath's run and used enough strength to shove her away.

"…You've gotten better." Minato commented with a nod of his head.

"Honestly, I can't decide if I should say the same for you or not." The General of the Empire replied back. "No offense. I just wonder if you are really holding back on me or not."

"I guess you will have to figure it out." The blue-haired male answered as his sister smiled with a chuckle.

"As mysterious as always." This time Esdeath said with amusement as she took the offense this time with a couple of thrust to his stomach.

Redirecting both jabs, Minato retaliated with an overhead slash. Esdeath dodged such a strike and spun around to dodge a new slash that her brother had followed up with. Pushing him away for distance, she spun around and their metal weapons hit one another as she ducked until another cut and they both kept each other away from the tip of their opponent's sharp points. Ducking under a thrust, Minato moved over to his sister's backside which she easily guarded in response to another attack.

Esdeath jumped over an attack that was meant for her legs as she went for a thrust. But that attack was taken back at the last moment when the fortune-teller nearly pinned it to the ground with the bottom handle of his weapon. Esdeath then proceeded to move backwards as she watched Minato direct the tip of the blade on the floor and swiftly move towards her.

Spinning around to try and cut Esdeath's toes, Minato missed as he rolled. But his sister had the same idea to keep up with the male. Trying to stand back up, he raised his weapon in order to block Esdeath's attack. With his arm being grabbed suddenly, he was dragged to the ground and his sister hit his blade trying to keep him down. But he proved to be tenacious as got back up easily.

On their knees like a pair of children wresting, they constantly were dragging one another down while trying to cut the other. Cut after cut; slash after slash, each attack with metal behind it was followed by a hand. The hand would always bring its grasp to a familiar destination, the ground. But now…

This was just getting ridiculous.

Esdeath was laughing as she and Minato fought like the siblings that they were. Never in their life had they ever reverted to such childish methods. The fight ended when she wrapped her arms around Minato and pulled him into a hug. She knew that he was uncomfortable with such a notion, but remained quiet about it since she wanted the interaction.

Her back rested against a pillar as he was lying on her body. The both of them looked up to the sky quietly. "I love you, Brother." Esdeath whispered, stroking his hair.

Minato didn't do a thing since his arms were currently bound by his sister's. He could only feel her caress his crown gently. Closing his eyes, he let his disguise fade away until he was in his usual clothing. "I love you too, Sister…" He mumbled.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the halls, the Jaegers were still watching them.

"Should we leave now?" Wave whispered.

 **At this point on, this fanfic is now within the top 50 of favorite Persona series fanfics out of… I don't know, some sort of large number. So… there is a lot riding on me… I'm really struggling with these chapters as of late.**

 **No flames please.**

 **Please review so I know what you guys think.**

 **If you have any questions, feel free to ask.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own the Persona series or Akame ga Kill. Everything belongs to their respected owners.**

Two months.

It has been exactly that amount of time since Minato last heard about any sort activity that had been related to Night Raid.

Wandering the more fortunate part of the Capital, the streets were bustling. Everyone seemed to have a place to be all the time and was properly behaving. Well, threats of execution if laws were to be broken was a way to persuade one to follow such rules. It was almost as if there was no war happening. But the mood of the streets told otherwise.

No doubt everyone was aware of there being no peace. For a long time, such atmosphere and truths weighed down their bodies and thoughts. As if it were a plague, such viruses infected the humans that swarmed the nesting grounds of the Capital.

With hands in his pockets and slouched a bit, Minato turned his head to see his sister Esdeath constantly eyeing the crowds. While his gaze was dull yet aware, hers was sharp like a hawk. She looked all over her as if she were looking for something. "Sister," Minato spoke out, getting a glance out from the woman. "Is something the matter?"

The blue-haired General shook her head while covering her eyes with the visor of her cap. "…I seem to look for Tatsumi in crowds, against better judgment." She simply answered curtly. "But in the world, there is only one Tatsumi… What are the chances of seeing him still in the Capital?

Minato noticed that rather than frustrated, she was saddened at this thought. Her behavior had changed. Be it for better or worse, Minato was not one to say. Instead, he took a couple of quick steps forward and grabbed the tip of Esdeath's cap and lifted it up a bit to reveal her saddened gaze. But it suddenly uplifted to a bit of surprise within less than a second of his actions. "How will you be able to see him then if you keep your gaze to the ground?"

His question was short. Esdeath continued to have the small expression of surprise on her face. But soon, it morphed to a look of satisfaction. Minato was always a person Esdeath could yet couldn't understand at the same time. He was like an enigma. Sometimes, she would see her younger brother, a fine young man who does his best to keep his sister happy despite his personality.

But other times, he was a complete stranger. An aura of mystery would surround the blue-haired male's being. If there was a certain time she would say she first noticed it, she would have answered back when her home was attacked when she was a child. Even his Teigu that he owned. That was something that was odd to her. Almost fluidly, he would wield the power with ease even when he first tried it out.

Her look peeked over to her book strapped to his back. No matter where he went, that book would always be with him. It was understandable though. Not because of its power, but because it was the last memory of their mother's.

Seeing eyes staring at her, she noticed it was Minato was kept his pupils locked onto her being. His body was still like a petrified statue and no wind could disrupt his balance. Despite the flat look he appeared to be giving, Esdeath chuckled and hugged her brother. She felt him wriggle around a bit. After a second, she released her grip.

"Brother," She finally spoke after their long moment of silence since Minato's question. "Do you want to perhaps go hunting with the Jaegers and I?"

Minato only thought about it for a second. "If you want me to."

 **PXA**

Well, he could suppose this was hunting.

The next day, he, Esdeath, and all of the current Jaegers were riding on horses straight out of the Capital for hunting some local Danger Beasts.

But now, it was more than hunting. What they were doing right now was extermination. Since Minato never has had the opportunity lately to talk to Makoto, he was uninformed about the young Emperor giving a task to his sister and her group to wipe out those monsters that seemed to be disturbing the land across the Empire.

It was a rather simple task if one were to simply do what they were told. But Minato mentally took a closer look into the situation. From what he could tell, such monsters almost looked human. Sure, their bodies were rather grotesque, but one could not deny their shape and size. Plus, another question popped up, where did they all come from?

But perhaps that could be thought of for another time as Minato ducked to avoid a bone-crushing grab from one of such beasts he was killing with Esdeath and Kurome.

Apparently, his sister already had a plan in mind. Since such monsters would perhaps attempt to appear on the main road for easy victims, Bols, Seryu, Wave, and Run would all be there to defend such people and prevent any harm upon them. The beasts would then run away with fear as they seemed to have intelligence and so have them retreat into a place where he and the two females he was with would kill and capture a couple.

The fortune-teller then leapt back when the beast he was facing pounded the ground. Despite the rather large stature of the monsters, their reflexes were impressive. But Minato was easily faster. He used that to his advantage, dancing just slightly out of reach from the monster's grasp, making sure to draw his opponent's attention but never staying still enough for the creature to bring its full strength to bear.

With a trail of cards following his hand, several of them began to connect to one another. One by one, their presence began to combine into a single item. That single item built from many turned to one was a sword. Its blade was blue looks like the edges of cards were connecting with one another. The hilt was still made up of rectangles, yet it still managed to create a cylinder-like appearance with a couple of cards poking out like wings. A smooth handle grew right out of the bottom of such a hilt. But what no one saw was that it was sticking out of the XVII card, the Star arcana.

Minato, however, threw his weapon up in the air. "Sword." Despite his voice being a bit quiet, it was still heard through the fight.

Kurome caught it. The Jaeger snatched it out of midair by the grip, pulling it down in the middle of her own leap. She spun around with the movement, gathering strength and momentum. As she landed, the result was overkill as she cleanly cleaved through the monster that was after Minato with no effort.

Soon though, a new monster of brute strength and primal aggression began chasing after Kurome, trying to bring her down and inflict punishment in retribution for the kill dealt to its kind. Just like Minato, Kurome danced easily out of reach, using her own drug-enhanced speed to avoid the wild, swinging fists. The blade left her hands a second later, tossed over her shoulder in almost haphazard fashion.

"Sword."

Minato appeared suddenly in a spinning, whirling blur. The male had already had a single blade out which was made up of ice. The cold weapon impaled itself right into the beast's head and it went down in front of the Jaeger's assassin. The other hand caught his created blade, swinging horizontally, severing one of the many heads.

It was too easy to take care of all the mindless creatures that swarmed at them by the dozen. Their eyes and motions were literally frothing with rage. Their arms snapped at Minato who was already leaping out of the way.

"Sword."

Kurome was there, lunging, diving for the falling blade made by Minato. She ducked under a haymaker and scored a jagged laceration across one of the monsters' bellies.

"Sword."

Minato. Pure economy of motion. The Star blade rose and fell in his practiced hands and one of the monsters fell, a bloody gash ripped across its face.

"Sword."

Kurome, jabbing and probing. She leaned back to avoid a horizontal slash from the killing claws and left a pair of puncture wounds in many that she dashed past.

"Sword."

A swarm of buzzing bees. Despite being only two, as Esdeath was actually standing idly by while already capturing one of the monsters in her ice, that it what the duo resembled. They deployed hit and run tactics to the finest degree, vectoring in to attack when much attention was elsewhere and swiftly retreating when gazes were focused on them. The XVII was always in motion between them, staying with one used with just enough time to scare another kill before rapidly changing hands again. Animalistic roars of fury were easily dying down each second as the sword left bodies and kills too quickly to count. The monsters' attention continuously switched between the darting, weaving forms, trying to fix them in place so they could finally do something to them. But, there was no defense against such speeding, blitzing foes.

"…" Minato grabbed his blade for a final kill before looking up and calming his adrenaline down. Opening his hands, the cards began to undo themselves and show that no damage had been done to their material. As they retreated back into his book, he looked up to the couple of monsters that his sister had managed to encase in ice in the middle of the slaughter he and Kurome had taken part in.

"I see." Esdeath commented, tapping on the ice while she too observed the monsters. "This is truly a type I've never seen before."

Which actually brought up the question from before, where did they come from in the first place? Could it have been a result of evolution? There were no Danger Beasts that Minato could recall about that looked similar or have any sort of familiar characteristics. Mutation? That could be a good explanation. But a natural kind would only lead to the term evolution.

…So what if it was man-made?

 **PXA**

Such thoughts couldn't be dealt with at the moment.

Why?

Kurome was currently standing right in front of him with her usual bag of sweets right next to her. The stare she sent was flat yet full of expectation. Her positioning of her stance was neutral, perfect shoulder-width apart footing with a straight back. As if she were a soldier waiting for her orders, her body was still.

His own flat stare looked right back at her until he directed his attention to Esdeath who was standing right next to the two of them. "Can I have an explanation to why Kurome is staring at me, Sister?" He asked, keeping his attention between the two girls that were near him.

"I have matters to attend to." Esdeath began simply, gesturing towards the shorter female who was still standing next to the blue-haired duo. "However, it has occurred to me that you are still a rather isolated soul within the Capital. So I thought it would be nice for you to spend some quality time with the Jaegers. Seeing how you and Kurome seem to have a bit more in common than you both think, I believe it will be a nice start."

…His sister cared too much for him. That was just his own opinion though. It was nice though, having a family member looking after and taking care of you. "Alright." He answered, still noticing Kurome has not even bat an eye yet. Even as Esdeath bid her farewells and went away, Kurome's stare never faltered. "…Why are you staring at me like that?" He asked.

"General said that I could learn a thing or two by watching you. I'm doing that at this exact moment." Was the girl's response.

"She didn't mean literally." Minato said curtly.

"Ah." Kurome continued to stare.

"Stop it." The blue-haired male responded.

"Sorry." The black-haired girl answered.

"You're still doing it."

"My bad."

The both of them then continued to simply stand in silence while avoiding eye contact. Not a single sound came from even their surroundings. Minato could have sworn that he saw a couple of members that lived in the castle actually walk by silently while staring at them in a perplexed manner. Nearly sighing to himself, he looked back at Kurome who was still keeping a leveled gaze towards him.

"So what do you want to do?"

 **PXA**

Eating.

That one word, that one action… it was almost as if that's all they did for the entire time together.

It was the girl's suggestion that they wander the Capital in search of something to do. Their times just exploring actually made Minato almost think that he was escorting Makoto around the streets only to remember that his companion was female and not the other sex.

His posture was almost hunched over since his hands were in his pant pockets. Muscles were loose as he simply trailed after Kurome. The female on the other hand seemed to wander the streets like a child exploring a new home. Eyes drifted around the many buildings. It didn't matter whether they were in the red-light district or not, each moment proved to be a good way to pass the time.

But then it came down to the many restaurants. Minato didn't care at all, but his wallet was much lighter than before. He swore that it such a pouch was sentient, it would be crying due to the loss or relieved of the weight reduction.

What would be considered a 5 course meal for a group of people was simply a regular meal for the small girl. Where she managed to fit all of that food however Minato didn't know. Then again, he could eat just as much and he had no clue where all the grub went in his body himself.

Store after store, restaurant after restaurant, that's where they traveled. Dish after dish, dessert after dessert, they ate tons of food yet never seemed to be satisfied.

"Is your body better?" He asked at the end of the day. His question received a look from Kurome. Her eyes studied her own being before nodding her head. "I'm talking about something else."

"Hmm?" She hummed in a question. A slightly confusing look took over her features. Her brows furrowed.

"I'm talking about those drugs." Minato said back. "Remember our spar?"

"Ah." Kurome responded back, ducking her head down a bit.

The two of them continued to walk back up to where the castle gates were as the question hung in the air. Minato's gaze was straight as he watched the guards greet them and allow passage into the magnificent palace where his sister chose to reside. Still to this day, she attempted for him to stay within the comfy atmosphere.

"You haven't answered my question." The blue-haired male commented.

"…" Kurome didn't say a thing.

Minato closed his eyes. "You have been reliant on them."

Her look hardened a bit. "You would be too, if you were in my situation."

The male still continued to see a dark world as his eyelids did not open up. "Self-sacrifice for the sake of enlightenment?" He referred to the arcana of the Hanged Man.

The female blinked once before looking over. "That's… one way to put it."

"Is it because of your past?"

She hesitated. Her head dipped down, and he could sense an inner turmoil.

"Do you know what it was like for me growing up?" She finally asked. He didn't reply. "Sold by my parents, separated from my sister, trained to become something I never wanted to be… I had nothing. Day by day, experiments. Hour by hour, myself being a part of such experiments. Second by second, living with their painful effects. Everything became impartial to me. With that, I lacked even the slightest bit of passion within the world around me. Such feelings… emotions… I was dragged away from them. I tried so hard to fight it, but I simply ended up drowning in my own conscious, suffocating under the weight of my restricted feelings." Fingers clenched tightly. "Warmth I once felt, gone forever. In its place is a void, a great emptiness that tears my sanity and violates my thoughts. In exchange for all of that, I continue to survive to this day, my life restricted to an unknown time. All I have to do is follow orders."

Minato stared, seeming to ponder at what to say next. "...I see." He said. "So there is no other choice for you…" He watched Kurome nod once. "...You feel like it is your duty to serve my sister?"

"It has always been about that." Kurome's expression never changed. "I aid the General, because in the end, I have no other choice."

Despite it being dark, Minato could see Kurome's shoulders shaking. He understood. She was basically pouring out a past that pained her. Living through memories like that, he was impressed that she had managed to make it this far without any show of emotions that were truly noticeable.

"My sister does not care if you only serve for the purpose as a soldier." Minato stated, now watching Kurome's head snap in his direction with those words. "She wants you to serve your purpose as a Jaeger. Take everybody else within the group; Bols, Wave, Run, Seryu. Do you think they aid my sister as people of the military? No, they are by her side as people that want to protect their homes." He felt like it was perhaps an appropriate time to place a hand on her shoulder. "Sometimes, it's okay to be selfish. Sometimes, it's okay to want something. Sometimes, it's okay to do something because you feel good doing it. You have always had a choice. You've worked so hard to get where you came from. So, Kurome, I ask this. What is it that you want? The decision is yours."

Kurome meanwhile continued to look at the blue-haired male who stood right beside her. Only his eyes seemed to shine within the night. He was mysterious, that was certain. Was his apathetic nature at times a simple ruse to hide what he truly though. If so, then it defiantly worked. She felt a stinging within her body and it easily came to mind. "It's more of a wish rather than a want." She mumbled, clutching herself and reaching for another piece of medicine to enhance her strength.

It was then Minato gently grabbed her arm. She looked over towards the man who simply stopped her from grabbing what she needed to survive. Almost ripping her own wrist away to be free of his grasp, she then noticed his free hand carrying a single card.

Watching the blue design spin, she then noticed what was on the card. A man and woman standing next to each other, yet still separated by a black tree. Yet, despite this barricade, it was as if their connection was still present by the large heart that sat on top of the trunk.

Presenting the VI Lovers arcana, Minato used enough strength to grip the card before having Kurome watch it shatter like glass. "Isis."

Her black-eyes were seduced by the light that surrounded the male. Now, his entire body was seen within the dark night. Slowly, it began to surround her as well. A wind blew within a circle that surrounded them, but it was like a small breeze. While this happened, she began to feel herself come to peace. She felt… relaxed. It was then becoming clear that the pain was disappearing. Glancing down to her hands, she opened and closed them with an amazed expression.

Looking upwards, Kurome saw the source of it all; the breeze, the light, her cure. The being or figure radiated calm and serenity, an echoed remembrance to the one who had once called upon it in battle. It had the upper-body of a female but its lower-half was missing. Its head was a glaring bull, red eyes narrowed in a fierce look with gold nostrils. A gold pan-like accessory followed by a pair of wings were on both of its arms, sticking out like an angel. A white, ceramic shroud connected to such bright metal and created a hood of sorts which brought the design of a face above the nose. There were still room for the large horns though, such pointed ends growing up to impressive heights with a red gem nested in-between.

Kurome continued to stare in marvel at the magnificent sight. Minato too watched the being at work. Closing his eyes once again, it was not out of patience. Instead, it was almost as if a nostalgic look was worn on his features. But nobody saw such emotion as the only two witnesses were occupied with their own actions.

Soon enough, it disappeared. Blinking rather owlishly, Kurome soon realized that the two of them were still standing in the middle of a corridor. Apparently, nobody still didn't notice or pay any attention to them.

Looking to their side, Minato noticed that they were actually standing next to a training ground. Walking over towards the open area, he made his way right up to a rack that held a few swords made of wood. Grabbing one for himself, his other hand tossed one over to Kurome. Reflexes as sharp as ever, she snatched it out of the air with ease.

"Now…" Minato began, but Kurome walked to the center of the yard.

"What did you do to me?" She breathed, still amazed t how her body felt.

"I… didn't cure you." Minato admitted. "I only managed to heal your current pain. Whatever is killing you still resides within. But you didn't have to take your drugs, did you?"

Kurome immediately looked over towards the bag that was actually sitting in the halls untouched. Taking a deep breath, she looked down at her body and balled her hands into fists. Not of frustration, but of anticipation. Minato didn't say another word, raising his wooden blade in response. Kurome raised her own weapon up as well.

She initiated the fight by stepping forward and attempting a slash to his throat. Minato used his free hand to support the back of the blade as he blocked such an attack. Twisting his hand as soon as Kurome let the attack be pushed away, Minato only watched his own retaliating attack to her stomach be swiftly blocked. Back and forth, each one of them would push back for a counter attack only to be forced to block for their next action.

The female soon began to step back since the male was taking on a more aggressive like approach. Blocking two strikes this time, Kurome attempted to have Minato back away with a strong swipe. But the brother of General Esdeath was unfazed but such actions and continued his assault. Standing her ground for a second, Kurome brought her blade up to block and re-direct a thrust that was meant for her face.

Spinning around, she began to take the offense this time as Minato was the one being forced back this time. Every strike was quick. But Minato managed to keep up with such speed, but never being able or taking the opportunity to counter. Kurome was at that distance where she had the offensive advantage and was not overextending herself.

The sounds of wood echoed through the training yard. The sounds to banging filled the sky. It was just the two of them alone in the night. Their feet scuffling in the dirt. Their breath visible due to the cool temperatures. If they weren't fighting, the both of them would have found the setting peaceful.

Kurome ran in closer. With one hand on the handle and the other at the back of his weapon, it was as if Minato were wielding a staff instead of a sword. Soon, Minato began to take offense once again. Both of their eyes were in complete concentration and focus. Kurome went for a thrust. Mianto sidestepped the attack and pushed her blade to the ground. Thinking that she was open, she horizontally swung his edge. But the female leaned back to dodge the attack.

Bringing her blade back, she performed an overhead swing, but that was blocked as they once again began the routine of blocking and countering. Stopping to get into stances once again, it was as if some invisible force told them to do so and they swiftly stepped back to the center of the training field with their weapons still pointed at one another.

Minato took the initiative once again as he tapped the tip of Kurome's blade with his own to get in closer. Their weapons hit one another, over and over and over. It was as if it would never end. Each strike was fast. Their footwork was swift. Their gazes never leaving each other. The heat of battle boiling in their blood.

As the both of them spun around, their attacks collided and both wooden blades broke.

No words were spoken at all. Minato was the first to lower his broken weapon as Kurome followed soon after.

The both of them didn't notice Esdeath leaning on a corner of the hallway, already having witnessed their moment together and fight. Hopefully with her brother's words, she would be fine with being much more open than before. Her interactions with the Jaegers seemed to be restricted after all. Plus, it was nice that her brother was starting to get closer to the others.

With the last thought in mind, she smirked while walking away to patrol the mountains for more of those monsters that were terrorizing the Empire.

 **This chapter made no complete sense whatsoever. Writers' block is a giant pain in my ass. If you want to help me write, go ahead and PM me. If not, that's completely cool. Plus, I'm kind of frustrated of what my mom is saying to me. I understand that if I fail a course in school, I'm grounded. But passing, I'm still grounded? Have to get a 90 or I'm screwed… Logic.**

 **No flames please.**

 **Please review so I know what you guys think.**

 **If you have any questions, feel free to ask.**


	10. Chapter 10

**I do not own the Persona series or Akame ga Kill. Everything belongs to their respected owners.**

"Seryu Ubiquitous of the Jaegers, reporting for duty!"

"…"

Minato thought that it was going to be a peaceful day today. Figures that there was always something that was going to happen around him. Guess it would be for the best. If nothing around him did happen, he would get bored. Boredom would slow the mind down, therefore making his thinking process not as sharp as it usually would be.

His time with Kurome recently proved to be uplifting that she had broken out of her soldier mentality. The female assassin of the Jaegers had such a past that he, along with many, would describe as inhumane. Well, during the time that they were in what was considered humane and despicable? No one really knew the difference.

Back to the present though, he was reading a newspaper of recent events that were occurring within the Capital. Minato had just made it to a story about Night Raid striking once again, this time an assassination where the cause of death was something that was small enough to nearly leave an unnoticeable hole yet penetrate the skin into flesh. He tried to think, but out of all the assassins, no one came to mind that used needles as weapons.

But when he heard the voice, he folded his reading material down in half. The upper part of the paper creased over his finger as the bit provided support. With the literature in hand, he stared forward with his usual look as eyes kept a stare frozen onto the bubbly auburn-haired woman who was saluting with a large smile on her face. Even that little dog… Teigu… was doing such a gesture with equal gusto.

"It is an honor to accompany you for the rest of the day, sir!" Seryu continued, her body straight and firm like a proper soldier would do when addressing one's superior. Her clothing was rather casual for a soldier. Then again, that was the case for the entire Jaeger group. She just wore some sort of green dress that was combined with a form of military apparel at the same time. Metal hands were still with hair in a ponytail and bangs covering her forehead.

"Kyuun!" Koro added.

"…" Minato kept stare on her for a couple of seconds while blinking. Slowly craning his head, it was as if rusty gears were grinding against each other with the speed his neck was turning. First, it went to the Teigu that stood loyally at seryu's side. Finally, he saw Esdeath standing right next to and behind the eager Jaeger with another amused look on her face. But through that expression, he could have sworn he saw something else. "What is it this time?" He asked.

"No 'hello' for your dear sister, Brother?" Esdeath asked, folding her arms while smirking. Her posture was still as relaxed as ever. Confidence was an aura and a luxury the dangerous General and sister could afford ten-fold and still wipe out battalions with ease. Maybe he was over exaggerating but it was a possibility.

"Hello, Sister." Minato replied back with an even tone, not even batting an eye or twitching a muscle right away. "What is it this time?"

"I see that time with Kurome had enlightened you a little bit." Esdeath answered, immediately giving Minato an idea of what was to come. Seeing as how one Jaeger being with him was a good result, that would mean… "So I thought that Seryu here may be able to brighten your day."

Minato was silent for a few seconds. He didn't show a new expression, but Esdeath could see it. There was something in his eyes that was saying that the blue-haired male was coming up with some sort of response. He was just basically trying to find the right words that wouldn't hurt his sister. "…Are you sure you're not trying to hook me up with someone?"

That kind of question… she will admit she did not expect. Although, it didn't sound like a bad idea. She was already trying her hand in love. So why shouldn't Minato? He was still in a good age to start a relationship. Heck, maybe even look at women. Then again, it is a time of war and it may not actually be the best opportunity. But her love phase started with Tatsumi, why would it work with Minato and someone else?

"You're actually thinking about it right now." Minato deadpanned, still not moving a single muscle despite his arms suspended in the air to hold up his newspaper. Keeping the material in a perfect position, his fight arm reached over to the table next to him to grab a cup before sipping its contents. Placing the cup back, the mug was put down between countless plates and bowls that were both empty and filled with food.

He was honestly surprised that the restaurant he was in had not run out of food yet.

"Perhaps." Esdeath answered, a mischievous look on her face. That was not a good sign. But whatever she was thinking, it was easily dispelled away as the General of the Empire began to walk away. "Have fun with my brother, Seryu."

"I promise I'll be on my best behavior!" Seryu answered the leader of the Jaegers. Those two sentences almost made it sound like a parent was dropping off their child. Placing his newspaper to the side to finish his meal, he was about to reach for his eating utensils and a bowl before something nearly poked him in the eye. "It's for you."

Silently, he leaned back slowly to get a better view of what was being shoved into his face. It was an envelope. Most likely for him from his sister judging by the handwriting saying that it was addressed to him. Guessing it was a letter, he was correct as he took the package from Seryu and opened it to read what his sister had written.

 _I got a report saying that Seryu's heart was dangerous._

 _According to Wave, Seryu had mercilessly slaughtered the captured bandits we had from that group we dealt with a couple days ago. Despite the intention of interrogating them, she had gone against orders and done what was on her mind. Not that I mind the execution, but such actions followed by her personality have been concerning her fellow Jaegers._

And she wanted him to do something about it. Minato closed his eyes with a sigh as he pocketed the message. Why couldn't she do anything about it? Then again, his sister was a very busy person. Well, she was family… the only family he had left in this Empire.

"So, what are we going to do toady?!" Seryu asked eagerly, getting into Minato's rather personal space. Eyes were close as he could have sworn their noses poked each other a couple of times. Her bright eyes nearly blinded him as he blew upwards and had wind come into contact with her face.

"What is it you want to do?" Minato asked. Hopefully this could serve as an ice-breaker to be able to know what his sister was talking about.

"I was thinking about maybe get some training done. Oh! I've even heard that there are a few new bandit camps appearing all over the Empire. We should be able to arrive at one, deliver justice, and be back in time for dinner!"

Ah, there it was. As soon as that last sentence was uttered, he felt something. He felt something twisted within the woman. A twitch of her lip nearly grew into a maddening grin. A narrowed eye next to a glare. Features soon to be scrunched up into a horrifying persona.

"I heard that you even studied the Imperial Fist from the General." Seryu added as Minato continued to eat at a fast pace despite the thoughts in his mind. "Is it okay if you can teach me some techniques? Maybe even help me improve?"

Placing his plate down, Minato looked over towards Seryu. "First, a test." He answered.

The justice-lover blinked curiously and tilted her head. For a woman who had a darkness, she sure looked innocent. Then again, many people were like that. "What kind?" She asked.

"Kyuun?" Koro added, reminding the two that the Teigu was still around.

Minato reach over the table. "No weapons, no Teigu." He listed at first, grabbing the paper he had been reading before. Folding it in half, he casually dropped it on the floor. Ignoring all the looks that he and Seryu had attracted in the restaurant, he stood up and pushed his seat in. Within a single step, he stood right on top of the reading material. "You pass if you can get me off this newspaper."

Looking down to his feet, Seryu looked up and back down a couple of times. Minato stood in his usual slouched position, but she noticed the slight changes. Eyes narrowed by a fraction and posture tensed a bit as well. She also took note of the space around them, being a little bit small but was still large enough to move without problem like a hall of sorts.

Letting out a breath of focus, she slowly raised her metal arms and brought them up into a fighting position. Lunging forward, she attempted to attack his chest to knock him off. Minato easily raised his left hand and used it to push the attack off to the side. Trying to elbow his face, Seryu was then blocked by the same left arm. Attempting to keep the flow going, her next attempt was stopped by his right elbow. Watching him raise his left arm, she couldn't stop as her attack was blocked. Shifting her hands, Minato shifted his arm in turn before his right hand struck upwards and caused Seryu to stumble away.

Regaining her balance a second later, she tried to spread her attacks out. Hitting his face and stomach seemed like a good strategy, but Minato easily countered in turn. Blocking her wrists, Minato retracted his arms before retaliating with a block right between her arms for another attack. Attacking with his left hand, it was a feint as his right hand lunged out like a cobra.

Seryu managed to react in time by grabbing the right arm and preventing the fist from hitting her. But then Minato simply opened his hand and attempted to poke her eye with an extended finger. As Seryu leaned back, Minato immediately placed his right foot just along the upper-leg on the inside. As the woman pushed his arm away, his foot applied even more pressure. Eventually, Minato dug the tip of his shoe right against Seryu's flesh while she pushed, causing her to stumble back while he got back to his original position.

Rubbing the point where the shoe was, Seryu breathed as she thought of a different way to approach. Charging once more, she tried to be more vicious but Minato easily handled the assault. After a few strikes, Minato twisted the arm so that Seryu's back would be towards him as she bent her knees to prevent pain from coursing within her. Struggling to get back up, she found herself rising and losing her balance as Minato simply placed his free hand against her head and pushed forward.

Turning around, Seryu attack Minato with her fists once again But it only happened once as her attention went down to her feet immediately after. Vicious kicks were delivered by the auburn-haired female, but a single leg and foot was all Minato needed as he easily redirected every lash before knocking Seryu to the ground by attacking her grounded foot.

Getting back up, Seryu was now throwing punches at random, hoping to confuse her opponent. But Minato's calm look was still plastered on as grabbed her arm. Spinning it around, his own arm wrapped around her limb as he pulled backwards. Placing his hand on her head, he pushed forward at the same time.

Seryu began to let out groans of pain as that was not how an arm should be bent. Releasing his grip, Minato helped her back up. Looking at her directly in the eyes, he also placed his hands on her shoulders. "Are you all right?" He asked.

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Seryu repeated herself before looking downwards and tried to stomp on Minato's foot. Instead, Minato reacted by raising his own and stomping right onto top of Seryu's. She felt his hands grab onto his wrists. Thinking she could pull backwards, Seryu immediately stopped as soon as Minato placed the bottom of his foot right against her chest.

No matter how she moved, she would always drag Minato and the newspaper all around. The blue-haired male had managed to put her in a state where she couldn't do anything to him.

Minato shook his head, signaling that she had failed his test. Releasing his grip, he noted Seryu's disappointed look as he sat back down.

"Let's go somewhere after lunch."

 **PXA**

"So where are you taking me?"

The streets were packed as usual as Seryu held Koro in her hands. Weaving all around the place, Minato did not say a single word as he was the one who was leading the female and her Teigu all around the Empire. As soon as he had finished his meal and paid for it, Minato did not say a single word as he silently walked out of the restaurant and around the Capital as if he owned the place.

The entire time, Seryu was curious. What was Minato up to? She didn't imagine him really satisfied at her performance in the restaurant. Was he angry? Hopefully not. Maybe that was why Esdeath's brother was bland all the time, to hide emotions and keep people guessing? The male was weird.

Eventually, they arrived to one of the more lush areas of the Capital that had trees and walkways that indicated that it was a park of sorts. Children were running around without a care, yet a heavy atmosphere was certainly known. Adults talking to each other, many in loud voices or hushed tones. Winds blew the leaves and scattered the green across the ground.

Minato stopped and looked at it all. Seryu stood in place as well, trying to see what Minato was seeing. Continuing his walk, he turned around. Bending his knees and weight being pressed down, the male sat down on a bench. "Come. Sit." He patted a spot next to him.

He watched Seryu just stare. She was so enthusiastic in the morning, but now she was so careful. It seemed that the little test he had given her had taken a much larger toll than he had expected. "You do realize that you aren't in trouble?" He asked.

"Really?" He nodded his head and he could see the relief spread through Seryu's face. A breath was released and he could almost see complete bliss spread across her features. Looks like she was extremely worried for nothing.

"So… what are we doing here?" The auburn-haired female asked, cuddling her Teigu with care as she looked over towards Minato. They sat on opposite sides of the wood of the bench. A couple of children passed by them, talking about something.

The blue-haired male looked over towards the female. Seryu flinched at his gaze as it was blank yet held something that intimidated her. "I'm going to be blunt." Minato stated, bringing his arms up and rested them against her legs. Looking back forward, he leaned in such a direction. "My sister wanted me to talk to you."

"Really?" She asked, tilting her head.

Minato nodded. "Yes." Was his answer, not even glancing back to her. "She's told me that you killed a group of captured bandits that were meant to be interrogated." He recalled what the letter had told him and inform the auburn-eyed female.

"…Ah, yes, those fiends." Seryu nonchalantly said, looking up to the sky to try and remember such an event. She remembered how they protested their innocence. She remembered how Koro fed on one of their members that was evil despite their testimony that they were forced to work with such bandits. "I don't see the problem. The General would have executed those evil-doers in the end, I just saved her and the Jaegers a favor. We wouldn't have gotten anything out of them. All those mongrels would have done was lie. It's what the General would have done."

Once again, Minato felt it. The darkness in Seryu that Esdeath hinted at. 'Justice' consumed her. Like the monster of gluttony, it was a never ending appetite. Her sanity was there, but was clearly affected at the same time. She was mad, and was happy with that.

His sister was nothing like that. His sister was much more dignified. Despite her control, despite her power, Esdeath did not let it get to her head. The reason she survived to this day was not just because of strength, but strategy as well. Battles were not won with just brawn, but also with the brain. His sister never let emotions spiral into mayhem, nor did she express any. Esdeath was always in control of herself.

"It's not what my sister would have done." Minato answered, keeping his attention to the scenes all in front of him. His tone was even, but the way it came out was harsh. "Seryu, what is justice?"

"Justice is an action delivered by those who have done an action that is against the law." Seryu answered immediately, almost as if she were expecting the question.

"…" Minato paused for a second. "Let me rephrase my question then." He sighed, putting a hand up for his head to rest on. "What is justice to you?"

"Justice is an action deli-"

"Wrong." Minato cut her off, frozen in his position. His posture still and lazy. "What is justice to you?" He repeated himself.

Seryu frowned at the question being asked to her for a second time. "I'm… afraid that I don't understand what you are trying to talk about." She answered in a confused manner. "That's what my father always said."

"Perhaps I should give an example." Minato turned his head so he could see her reactions from the corner of his eye. "For me, justice is something… an action, that is fair and reasonable. Like when-"

"Fair and reasonable?" Seryu now cut off Minato. The blue-haired male went silent, simply seeming to observe what was going to happen. Her frown grew ugly, as if angry. "Justice is nothing like that. Right and wrong, that's all that there is. It's something so simple! The Empire is a nice society while the people of the Revolution are trying to ruin it! Tell me, Minato, how is that fair and reasonable?!"

The subject was getting off-topic yet it was not at the same time. "… So that's how you think." Minato answered, turning his head back forward to see that they were causing a scene. But luckily, parents were hushing their kids home quickly. "The entire system is black and white: right and wrong." Arrogance was a fickle thing, a parasite that was unwelcome in any host. "You seem to be nothing more than a child." He suddenly said bluntly.

"Excuse me?!" Seryu roared, standing up. Teeth were gritted as her face now psychotic within the snap of a couple of fingers. Fists clenched, she was nearly outraged. Especially at the fact that Minato didn't react in the slightest. "Are you saying that the evil deserve mercy?! Evil-doers deserve nothing in the slightest! They are nothing more than the filth of the Empire!"

"I find it ironic." Minato stated, not even bringing his attention to Seryu except for hearing. "Mercy is the one thing that separates justice from vengeance or even common murder." Drumming fingers onto his cheek, he could hear the angry pants from her. "Aren't you an evil-doer yourself? You went against my sister's orders."

"That was for the sake of the Empire!" She growled out.

"The Empire, or yourself?" Minato felt her continuous glare as he even heard Koro growling. He knew that he was striking several nerves.

"What do you know about justice?" Seryu spat out.

"Are you saying that you are the law?" Minato looked at Seryu with his full attention. "Seryu, with how you're thinking I would not be surprised if your teammates don't trust you even now. I'm not asking you to exactly change your ways. I'm just wanting you to try and look at yourself. Have you realized tht you were raising your voice against me? Have you realized yet that this entire place is empty because of you? That you scared everyone off with your yelling?" His hand gestured to the side and around.

She looked over, and she saw it. There was not a single soul in sight. The entire place… dead. Not a sound was heard. Weight was heavy within the atmosphere of how the entire conversation went down not only of them, but everyone around them.

Stunned, she was speechless. Was that her? Was… that all her? Did she really do that? Her, a bringer of justice, bringing this scene of despair. This song of silence? Looking over to Minato, she then did realize what he said was true. She did suddenly start yelling at him. Seryu opened her mouth to say that she had a good reason. But then closed it right away. Justice was always a good reason, but now… her justice just seemed to scare everyone away.

"Wh…" She whispered, not noticing her Teigu poke her leg to see if she was all right. Her hugged her own body in hope of calming herself, but it only made her panic even more. Eyes were wide with hysteria, breathing fast and sharp. A heartbeat pounded in her ears as she fell to her knees. "What do I do?" She soon began to sob, the silence a bellowing orchestra with the drum already playing within her body. She thought that it had suddenly began to rain due to the seeing drops of water tap the ground. But nothing wet her clothing. "What do I do?"

A single hand placed itself on her shoulder. It was not hard, nor firm. It was… soft. As if it were meant to comfort her… Comfort, a word Seryu never used before. Not since her mother and father died in the line of duty. Despite her loving her time with Ogre, it was nothing close to such.

Looking up, her auburn-eyes met silver-grey ones. She expected to see it blank and boring. No. The look she saw was different. His expression was… gentle, caring. He had some pity on his face with a sadness mixed in. Minato was squatting to her level, trying to comfort her.

"Think about it."

 **PXA**

He saw her later that day after dinner.

He wondered what had kept his sister so occupied for the entire day. He thought it would be a good idea to go to her office and see if there was anything he could do to help. So, a new newspaper in hand, and he was already in the palace after a nice dinner. The hallways were no longer a surprise to him. Every visit seems to provide a bit more of a boring setting. Change of pace soon shouldn't be too bad.

"…Minato…"

His steps stopped their traveling when he heard his name. His entire body shifted and made him face the areas he had just walked by to see Seryu standing right behind him. She didn't seem so cheerful as usual, nor her chaotic persona. The woman just seemed… quiet. "I've… I've thought about it…" She slowly said, unsure if she should even be speaking. "And I- wait, where are you going?! She nearly broke out into a run as she saw Minato turn away from her. "I said that I thought about it, and-"

"That's all I needed to hear." Minato said, making Seryu stop herself from colliding into him. "You thought about it. That's good." He nodded his head before looking down at his newspaper. "Should we try again?" He asked, gesturing to the object in his hand. The auburn-eyes stared as he dropped the literature and stepped onto it. "You pass if you can get me off this newspaper."

Blinking, Seryu soon began shifting her hands up once again to assume the position of combat. Halfway, she stopped for a second, thinking about what she was doing. She saw him staring at her. She swallowed, hoping that she was doing the right thing. Placing her hands back to her side neutrally, she took a deep breath. "Can you please step off of that?" She asked hopefully.

Minato stared. Seryu had nervous sweat dropping down her brow.

Raising his right foot, Minato took his limb off of the surface and placed it onto the ground next to the paper. Bring up the left one next, he stepped forward so he was no longer on the newspaper. But his traveling didn't stop there. Step by step, his distance between him and Seryu slowly reduced. He didn't stop. Not until she actually had to look upwards to be able to look at his face. He was much taller than she had remembered. Was that because he always kept his distance somehow?

"Good job." Was all he said with a nod.

 **Bad news, I failed school.**

 **Good news, I convinced my parents that they were just over reacting and allowed me to not be grounded. Now all I have to do is find a job better than my part-time one until the school year starts again. Right, two days and two rewrites later, here we go!**

 **Stats… as of now for the fun of it… 32/804 Fav, 28/804 Fol for Persona Crossovers. Considering I'm a schmuck that's not been around long enough to be that popular in Persona writing, I think that's an accomplishment.**

 **Please review so I know what you guys think.**

 **Feel free to ask questions.**

 **No flames please.**


	11. Chapter 11

I **do not own the Persona series or Akame ga Kill. Everything belongs to their respected owners.**

Esdeath raised her rapier and immediately began to thrust repeatedly without mercy as she easily poked holes into some sort of Danger Beast insect that had the body of an arachnid, a stinger of the wasp, and the head of a mosquito. Blood gushed from the disgusting abomination, but that didn't stop the General from continuing her deadly attacks.

Apparently, there had been reports of several migrating Danger Beasts beginning to create homes around the Empire that were much closer to the Capital than the usual monsters would be. Being holed up inside the Capital for so long, Minato thought that it would have been a good idea to get out for some exercise. It also was to be able to spend family time together, as Esdeath proposed that the two of them go hunting just like how they did in the past.

Just giving the last blow to the monster, some form of a bear/boar monster came from her side to try and run her over. As she leapt out of the way, Minato appeared into the fray right where the blue-haired female was standing before. His hand on the outer pages of the book, he brushed his finger against the edge while swiping away to draw a single card; the XIX Sun arcana.

Rather than crushing it and hearing the sound of shattering glass, the card changed shape. Like clay being warmed, it began to melt. But as if it had a mind of its own, the putty-substance quickly regained its own shape. Some handgun was the weapon that was formed, but it shined brightly like some holy metal. White wings were engraved on the handle of such a firearm along with yellow designs decorating the barrel. Unlike a normally curved trigger, it was a yellow cross.

With firearm in hand, he fired a single shot through the Danger Beast's throat. The projectile that was sent out was powerful enough to cause the monster to be forced onto its hind legs by sheer force. Minato didn't stop there though, firing five other shots through the thick chin before kicking the corpse against a tree to break the spine for a sure kill.

With the gun still in his right hand, the weapon slowly changed back into the card it was before it transformed once more. This time, its grand appearance took the form of a bow with no arrows at all. It had a partially scaled appearance, silver-metal crafting the tool that sat within his hands. At the front of the boy, a lotus flower design and color was shaped to look like it was being offered. Rubies and sapphires decorated the silver to add even more value to the precious weapon.

Coming his way soon was some sort of mantis creature, sharp limbs acting like scythes to clean the male into two. Raising his bow, Minato deflected such curved slashes while spinning his body to go around the mantis. Lashing his foot out, his kicked an ape monster in the stomach and stunned it for a couple of seconds. But that was more than enough time he needed in order to pull the string on his bow and aim for the mantis. Releasing his grip, no projectile was shot, but a hole was pierced into the head of the insect creature.

Cartwheeling forward, Minato aimed for the ground that was right in front of the ape beast that was still behind him. With another pull of the string, the beast suddenly lost the bottom half of body while a decent chunk of the dirk below was scattered into a large dust cloud. Keeping an eye on an incoming swarm of the insect creatures Esdeath had taken care of before, Minato took aim again. Pulling the string with a lot more strength than the two previous times, a horizontal tornado formed as shredded the rampaging insects.

Esdeath easily came to Minato's side seconds later, darting around the battlefield. Every couple of moments she would reappear, finding various ways to completely kill her prey with the most brutal of methods. Slashes, cleaves, and thrusts later, she kicked a single one of the monster into the air. Jumping up after it, she completely encased the body in a large chunk of ice before causing a small shockwave as she landed with it.

Ducking her head, she watched from the corner of her eye Minato performing three flicking motions. Looking in the direction he was facing, three of his tarot cards embedded themselves into the heads of unfortunate frog Danger Beasts that attempted to attack her.

Twisting the grip on her rapier, she swung her arm backwards vertically and stabbed a beast through the stomach. Swiping her arm forward next, she cut a frog's tongue right in half that was attempting to do who know what to her. With a fast rotation of her wrist, she wrapped the tongue around her blade and pulled. Seeing the toad soar right towards her, she delivered a powerful kick in its direction.

Minato made a slight gesture and the three cards he threw immediately flew back to him. The blood that would have stained the pieces of art instead fly off leaving not even a smudge of the cards. As two of the pieces went back into the book, he kept one of them in his hand still; the XV Devil arcana.

Extending in length, the card began to shift into a material that looked like bone. As if it were the spine of a human, the handle of the weapon had the exact structure and look of that one part of the human body. Four jagged ribs proved to be some sort of hilt at the top, the sharp ends directed downwards like fangs. At the end however, it was a skull that would belong to a human, but the eyes were shaped differently. They were not round, they were slanted to make it have a glaring presence.

Heaving his body, he turned around to swing as if the rod he was holding was heavy. Esdeath didn't need to say anything as she saw him preparing a strong blow. Deciding to help out, she formed a large thick wall made out of her cold element right in front of a few beasts that reminded her of the raptors she would hunt back in her home territory with Minato when they were children.

With the skull colliding with the ice, boulders of the transparent stone flew outwards like pellets shot from a gun and completely obliterated the opposition. Esdeath soon grabbed onto the end of Minato's weapon. Making a gesture with her head, the male nodded his own skull as he swung around once. Using her Teigu to create an ice trail below her feet to make it easier for him to swing, she kicked upwards while Minato was nearly at full swing to land a solid foot into the chin of an Earth Dragon.

As the Danger Beast's head reared back from the hard impact, Esdeath created a ramp that launched her high into the air thanks to the swinging force of Minato's rod. Going right past the head being bent back, Esdeath twisted her body around so that her head would be facing the ground. Forming an ice platform in mid-air, she kicked off the surface and axe-kicked the head of the Earth Dragon back down.

For a final blow, Minato was already spinning his body around for one final attack. Spinning the rod around for the killing strike, Minato used a good amount of force and smashed clean through the head of the dragon as soon as its chin was slammed onto the ground.

As Esdeath landed with a deathly grace onto the corpse of the Danger Beast, she slowly clapped her hands. It was not out of sarcasm. It was just her personality at work that had her clap at that speed. "Well done, Brother. It certainly has been a while since it has just been the two of us." Esdeath commented, leaping off the body and onto the ground.

Minato nodded his head, looking over at the woman who was walking his way. Turning his head, he then realized all of the gore and blood that was right behind him. To many, it was a horrible sight that would haunt anyone for the rest of their lives. To him and his sister, it was just another day of hunting. "I guess that takes care of all the Danger Beasts that were in the area."

"It's odd though." Esdeath pointed out, staring at the battlefield that was filled with various monsters disassembled all around. Blood splattered like a painter creating a finest painting of the century. Limbs littered like trash on a street. "I would understand if it were one species. But look at it…" She gestured while sheathing her rapier. "There are at least 3 species of Danger Beasts around this area. I think something like this had to be done by man."

The blue-haired male took the time to think about it and realized that Esdeath's observations were correct. Danger Beasts were obviously like any other animal almost. Many were extremely territorial with their surroundings. So having a massive amount of monsters concentrated in one area would certainly cause chaos and panic to villages nearby due to such abominations having to expand their own home land in order to survive from invaders.

"Do you have any ideas of who could have caused such chaos?" Minato turned his head towards Esdeath.

The bottom half of her face was covered with her hand as she was in thought. "Possibly…" She said to herself. But Minato still head it, his craning head being a large indication to someone with a trained eye like Esdeath. But she didn't want to trouble him for the moment. "So… shall we camp outside like old times? Can you get a fire started while I prepare the meat?"

Minato immediately turned his head towards the many Danger Beasts that were going to end up in his stomach.

Esdeath chuckled at the display. "You never change." She mused.

 **Break**

Night had finally fallen, and the two siblings were eating dinner together, meat being the main course with several herbs found around the area to use as other means with the meal. A fire had been lit thanks to Minato as he created large amounts of flames with how much wood he used and how it was places. Big enough to roast several limbs at the same time, the blue-haired male even had enough time to make a giant split to cook the food as well.

Minato swallowed the last amount of food that had been given to him as he wiped his lips with a spare hand. "I believe that's enough for me." He stated, patting his stomach to make a point that he was full.

Esdeath was tempted to whistle, but didn't due to it perhaps being out of her character. "Brother… I guess even you have your limits when it comes down to eating." She said, looking at the large pile of bones that sat next to the blue-haired male. "And yet there is so much more food left."

Both of their heads craned over towards the small mountain of skinned meat that was all ready for cooking. The pile of raw food was something that the two of them should have seen in hindsight. "What should we do with it?" Minato asked, being the first one to break them out of their thoughts. "We can't just leave it here. It could possibly tempt more Danger Beasts to this area."

Esdeath opened her mouth to answer. But a small rustle within the grass caused her to close her mouth. Minato heard the small interruption as well, looking in the general direction the sound came from. Whatever caused that bit of noise, it was headed right for them. But the speed it went actually caused the two of them to become curious. At the sluggish pace the thing was coming at, Minato decided to be the first to investigate what was coming towards them. Getting up off the ground, he walked over to the shifting grass.

Bending his knees, he tilted his head as he got a closer look at what was posing as a slight interruption. Esdeath watched from a distance as Minato reached down and picked up something with his bare hands. "…A Margue Panther Kitten?" He asked, gently bringing up his hands to show a small animal fitting on the palms of his hands.

Esdeath got up and walked over right next to Minato. "Hmm… Must be a male one as well, judging by the pattern on its fur." Bending her knees, she was soon at the same height as Minato in order to get a better look at the tiny creature.

The small animal mewed as it shook. There was a small look that made it seem like it was in agony. Noticing how it wasn't moving so much, Minato slowly brought the kitten over to the fire so that he could have a better lighting to look. Gently shifting his hands, he flipped the animal over. "…He's hurt." The male said slowly, seeing a large cut along the stomach. "Must have been hurt during our fighting."

A couple of seconds later, the small kitten stopped moving around. Minato and Esdeath only stared at the lifeless body. Soon though, it started to move again by a bit. It was fighting for survival, doing its best to live on. "He's tenacious, I'll give it that." Esdeath sighed, sitting down right next to Minato. "But there's no helping it."

"Did you forget?" Minato looked directly towards her sister, hands still holding the little animal with tender care. As Esdeath gave him a weird look, he carefully kept the kitten balanced on one hand while reaching over towards his book. As if he willed it, a card floated out from the closed pages. The one number he though represented his sister the best twirled in front of both blue-haired human eyes; III Empress arcana.

"Artemisia."

The card was broken. Shattered like glass, the bits fell to the ground. From its broken body, a new entity took form. With a large blue collared-dress, golden armor was dawned along the body stopping along the shoulders and hips. Spikes grew out of the shoulder and hip parts of the metal, as if thorns on a beautiful rose. A red bird mask over a deathly pale white face, hiding a cold identity. In hand, a single whip with small sharp points with a sharpened tail to end it.

Esdeath stared in marvel at the being that her brother had summoned. What was its name again? Artemisia? The General studied its movements as the entity slowly bent down to look at the little kitten that Minato was holding.

Both it and Minato stared at the animal. It looked up. Minato nodded his head. It looked back down and tilted its own head with a curious movement. Artemisia raised its hand. A green glow began to shed from the fingertips. The color was soon transferred to the kitten's wound. Slowly, flesh began to knit back together.

Esdeath watched as such a miracle was happening before her eyes. She had seen it once before however, when she and her brother fought when they both acquired their Teigu. She knew that the Margue Panther Kitten was feeling warm. It was a sensation one felt when under such a light.

"You just keep on creating one surprise after another, Brother." Esdeath commented as soon as Minato finished healing the small animal's body. As the kitten ran away, Minato looked towards the General.

He blinked. "What do you mean by that, Sister?" Such a question was so simple yet always appropriate for many moments. Artemisia became a card again while slipping into the book.

Esdeath began to raise fingers as she started listing off each and every moment that came to her mind. "The discovery of your Teigu is constantly keeping me on my toes for different moments. It only started as being able to manipulate the cards to your will however. But I still first remember when you could summon those… things from the cards after a while. Time passed, and soon you began to learn to fuse with those summons and gain their strength. Now, you are able to create weapon out of your Teigu." She turned over. "How do you I would have felt having to witness each and every one of those moments thinking that you have already discovered all of its abilities?"

Minato looked up to the sky and dawned a thoughtful look on his face. His sister was right, it would indeed be a surprise to anyone that had the knowledge of using such abilities. But there she went again… Teigu. "…" Minato stayed silent, keeping a gaze towards the stars and the moon.

"Although, it does make me wonder…" Esdeath mentioned, trying to shift into a much more comfortable sitting position for herself. Eventually, she found herself lying on a large rock as it supported her back. "Where did those cards come from?" Turning over towards Minato, she saw that the blue-haired male was staring at her. "When I first opened Mother's book, there was nothing inside. The pages were blank. Not a single sheet even had a drop of ink staining it." She explained. "But when you first opened it yourself, each of those cards suddenly came floating out of the pages. All 22 cards that you have right now danced all around your body, as if celebrating something. And you stared at them… as if they were old friends."

"…" Minato chose not to say a single word.

"I'm sorry for bringing up those memories…" Esdeath apologized, taking his silence as a sign of displeasure. "It… just makes me think about where I am right now. What would have happened to me if you had actually died? Would I have even found my way into the ranks of the Empire? Would I have gained the powers of my Teigu?" She looked down to her chest, pressing fingers onto the marking that was just above her bust. "Would I have stayed the way I am right now?"

Silence passed between them. The night only grew longer yet shorter at the same as dawn grew closer yet farther. The fire that was lit waved around thanks to a light wind. Their light illuminated their bodies as shadows were cast upon the ground. Silhouettes formed like a fairy tale being played out to an audience. The flames cracked and popped, sparks coming to life and dying just as quick.

"…Sister…" Minato finally said after their period of silence. Esdeath slowly turned over towards her the blue haired male. His face was hard to read. Even with the light, the darkness of the night shadowed his features. But through the black, she could swear she saw a small smile. "Have I ever mentioned how thankful I am to be with you?"

That one line… it sounded so humorous to her. It was something that still made her chuckle however, an action she found herself doing a lot whenever it came down to her and Minato. But still, she liked it. "No, I don't know ever recall you doing so." She answered, smiling towards the shadowed face.

Minato didn't respond at first. Not a word, not a sound, escaped his lips. The male was thinking. Soon though, he stood up onto his feet. Taking slow steps, his body slowly began finding its way right next to Esdeath. The female looked up to see Minato standing right next to her. She then watched as he stepped right over her with one leg and slowly began to descend downwards.

Feeling her back being pushed forward, she slowly began straightening herself. With the space she had created, Minato sluggishly slipped through the gap and landed himself on the ground. Now with his back against the rock, Esdeath's behind was resting against Minato's front. "Now that I also think about it," He began. "You were always the one to hold me like this whenever the situation would arise."

She felt his arm drape over her shoulders. His arm wrapped around her upper body. His legs rubbed against her own. Lifting her thighs, his own shifted under as she rested her own limbs on top. "Hmm… That's… true." She answered.

Dipping his head, the side of her forehead touch her own. His dark-blue hair blended in with her light-blue color. His breathing tickled her cheek. The corners of their eyes met. "…Would it okay for me to be like this until morning?" Minato asked.

Esdeath smiled, closing her eyes at the same time. "I think I've spoiled you too much all of these years." She replied back. But she brought her hands up in order to link them with Minato's. She slowly turned her head so that she had a full view of is face if she were to look up. Her ear rested against his chest, listening to his calming heartbeat. "But of course it would be okay. Did you even have to ask?"

Those were her last words as he own breathing came to a steady pace. Minato kept an eye on Esdeath, watching the female rest on his body. Staring at the flames of their fire, kept his hands resting gently on his sister. Without a single gesture, a card sneaked into his vision; the 0 Fool arcana.

"Orpheus." He whispered. The card slammed itself into the ground, shattering into pieces. From its remains, the entity with a harp and mask showed itself.

Slowly taking its instrument, the being began to strum it. Each string held a note. Each note had a perfect tune. The tune was perfect. The perfection held a moment of harmony that Minato took to enjoy. The music was a slow sound, a lullaby of sorts. Esdeath's body shifted in Minato's hold as she adjusted herself to become more comfortable.

As the tune carried on, Minato whispered words that were covered by the notes of the harp.

"I love you, Sister… And I'm sorry…"

 **So realizing last week that Persona 5 was coming out extremely soon, I was writing this the best and as fast as I could knowing the lazy bum that I am and that that game was going to pretty much take up all my time. One week later thanks to lazing around, and five rewrites, I finally have something.**

 **If it seems like I'm pulling crap out of my ass and adding a whole bunch of shit you don't like, well that's kind of because I am. The Minato I'm trying to portray here is someone that we're all used to with a whole bunch of powers that you all are not used to for a specific reason. You don't like it, oh well it's what I want.**

 **Hopefully I can actually soon begin advancing the plot soon and put some Leone in since she's the only Night Raid member who has had any interactions with Minato at all.**

 **Stupid Promotion: Come check out my Persona/High-School DxD crossover. It's probably a lot worse than this, but at least it's a bit more fresh since it's only one chapter so far.**

 **Story Stats (Cause I like to flaunt how well/terrible I'm doing for my own self-esteem): 30/810 Persona Crossover Favs, 25/810 Persona Crossover Fols, 23/369 Akame Crossover Favs (can't believe I'm beating some Naruto fics with this judging by the whole popularity fanbase), 22/369 Akame Crossover Fols**

 **Please review so I know what you guys think.**

 **If you have any questions, feel free to ask.**

 **No flames please.**


	12. Hiatus? Canceled? Or Break?

**So... I'm starting to run on fumes when writing this story.**

 **I don't know why, but I've suddenly run out of steam on wanting to write this fanfic. I've had the ending all planned out and everything. But... getting all the way there is the tricky part. It's also becoming extremely tough to make chapters 4000 words at max/minimum. I do want to continue this fanfic so... This is going to go on a hiatus... probably for a very long time...**

 **An alternative is that someone can adopt and finish the fic for me with the ending that I had in my head.**

 **But... I may return to this earlier than expected if you all are okay with short chapters (at least 2000 words long).**


	13. Bad News and Good?

**So an update. I have good news and bad news. Lets start with the bad because the letter B comes before the letter G in the alphabet according the past.**

 **Alright, bad news. I've lost it. I fucking lost it. Dead in a ditch is a fanfic that may or may have not been something amazing. Considering how whenever I posted a new fanfic here or there with Persona, it's been mainly seen as a spiritual successor to The Empire's Velvet Room. So with that comparison, it makes me happy that I've managed to make just the tiniest name for myself in such a fanfic community, but pressure is a bitch since I've been reading it over and over again and feel like I'm unable to form such quality in the first place. Plus, with everything I had planned out, it's not exactly looking good for me since many chapters are pretty much 4,000 words and then I want to stop it.**

 **It's like eating something you love over and over and over again, but you just grow tired of it.**

 **Food analogies aside, I've just lost interest in actually creating this fanfic. Someone else can make their own rewrite if they want. Do some kind of bullshit 'reading' fic which already three-quarters of the effort is done and you get so much credit for making it. You all can give me pity or complain, go ahead. I just think that I've run out of steam and just can't do it anymore.**

 **Alright, there's the bad, so here's the good.**

 **Hopefully it's something no one else has really done before because it seems so genius yet extremely mentally retarded/challenged at the same time.**

 **Since I did have an ending in mind, I'm going to write it out. How the fanfic would have finished was always in the back of my head ever since I posted the first chapter. It's been following me everywhere. So you get a story canceled, but at least you know how it should have ended. Hooray if you're happy. Oh well if you're disappointed. It's something I feel like should happen. For everyone that has been patient with me and enjoyed the content I've brought out, hated it, you all deserve such. You're been taking your time to even read this bullshit, so why the fuck not.**

 **More bad new though, it's probably going to be like shit since I'm going to try to get this out before the end of August.**

 **As we say in Canada (or what my friends claim), PEACE OOOOOOT!**


	14. Finale

**WARNING! TERRIBLE WRITING!**

"Yoshitsune."

Minato crushed the Tower arcana card, the shattering sound of glass once again filling the air. Sharps of transparent matter fluttered around him, as if he were controlling each of every bit of their movement. The flakes soon began to stick to him like glue. As if magnetized, they were airborne for one second and then attracted to him the next.

Undergoing his next transformation, red samurai armor began to cover him. Not his entire body though as that would simply be a huge toll on the account of mobility. Arm-braces and shoulder guards covered almost the entire outer part of his arm, leaving the inner limbs unprotected. A chest plate protected the very center of his being, a strange symbol being pain right in the idle of the black metal. A black belt with a golden buckle almost seemed to be one with the chest piece. Almost making it look like a skirt were four pieces of armor that all were long enough to make it down to his knees, each piece adjacent to one another. On his lower legs was more metal, wrapping around his legs as if they were socks.

Accompanying his change were two katanas, both looking like every other blade. But he was equipped with such weapons as he watched Esdeath come straight for him, and he was going to make the most of them.

Raising both blades in an X while slashing upwards, Minato managed to defend himself against his sister's downward cut as both attacks simply reflected one another. Watching Esdeath go for a horizontal attack, Minato kept his blades vertical and still to defend against such a retaliation. Thinking it was the perfect time to counter when her weapon hit his, Minato moved his body to the side to use the momentum to help him slash his sister.

But Esdeath proved to be fast as she moved to the opposite side that Minato had gone and began to run down the narrow path that the famous shrine setting had naturally formed for them. Minato immediately turned around and began to follow Esdeath. Both siblings used the dirt walls on both of their sides to be able to bounce around the pathway easier and faster to either get away from or catch up to one another.

Esdeath however stopped their game shortly when they reached an open area as she turned around and tried to surprise Minato with such an action with a slash to his throat from the tip of her rapier. Minato managed to lean back in time to dodge the sharp metal and got back at her by slashing his own weapons. But Esdeath easily blocked the attacks and she began moving back as Minato's swordplay became a bit aggressive at the moment.

Raising her rapier to avoid one cut going for her face, she had to immediately move her forward foot back as Minato's second katana tried to cut that limb. Still hopping back one second after the next, defending herself, Esdeath's foot found a slightly large rock. Using the stone, she flipped right over Minato's katana that would have cut her shins if she didn't dodge.

However, as soon as Esdeath recovered she was back on the defense. It only lasted a second though as it seemed as if she found the perfect time to counter attack. Slashing than thrusting, she forced Minato to use both of his blades to defend due to the amount of power behind both attacks. Trying to flank his side next, Esdeath saw that Minato kept up with her. His calm face was opposite of her bloodthirsty smile as her aggressive moves were blocked by his harmonious ones.

Trying to go for his legs, Minato easily stuck his blades down and blocked the slash. Trying to aim for the upper body, Minato took small steps back to make sure that his katanas would be at the perfect distance to work while deflecting attack coming towards him. Parrying another attack to his feet, that was meant to root him in place as Esdeath closed the distance in a couple of strides within a second.

Landing a solid punch against his stomach, Minato's coughed louder than he should have despite the protection of armor. As he stepped forward to attack, he saw Esdeath spin her body as she slid right past him. Quickly raising both blades, he rested them against the back of his shoulders and was satisfied to hear the sound of metal clanging against one another.

Looking back, he saw Esdeath back her arm still up in a pose that made her look like she had frozen after the attack of her connected with his defence. Flourishing one of his blades in his hand, Minato went back on the offensive. But his power seemed to have increased as Esdeath found herself backing up once again. Blocking one hit, she was nearly knocked down. Managing to catch herself from fully falling, the blue-haired female used her free hand to help her stay up and balanced as she was now on her two feet and unequipped hand while retreating plus defending against Minato.

The tips of Minato's blades though managed to cut off the choker on her neck and collar part on her uniform. Using a great amount of strength in her legs to retreat, she didn't get far since her back collided with the trunk of a tree. Minato saw an opportunity as tossed one of his blades into the air gently. With the weapon seeming to hover in place for a second, Minato used his second katana to send the airborne sword careening to Esdeath's face.

As the general leaned her head over to avoid the blade, she heard the sword embed itself into the tree without fail. She would have looked over but then Minato didn't give her the opportunity to as his aggressive actions came into play once more. Attempting to retreat to the side since her back was blocked, she saw Minato go for the place she would have slightly. She was trapped as her other side was blocked by the katana in the tree.

Locked in the position, she still managed to retaliate back but was unsuccessful in injuring Minato as found herself overextending one of her thrusts and was forced to dodge the next few attacks. As they both stepped past the trunk, Minato spun around while grabbing his hung katana in order to not make any openings.

Sliding back after defending against a powerful slash, Esdeath slashed downwards but then Minato was just out of her rapier's reach. Forced to block the next katana slash, their blades went around in a circle before they Minato gave away a bit. But that was part of his plan as Esdeath met an elbow between her chest and her throat before slamming against another tree trunk.

Crossing his arms, Minato slashed horizontally with both swords. Esdeath held her rapier up vertically while ducking down to block and avoid the simultaneous attacks. Hearing him cut out a good chunk of the tree behind her, she raised her rapier again, this time to her side as Minato was sending an upward slash her way.

With her weight on her back and legs while she was knocked to the side, the trunk was unable to provide any more support as she slid off the tree and began to fall backwards. Minato saw this and saw a dirt wall to the side as well. Jumping over, he bounced off the wall and pointed for a thrust down with one of his blades towards her sister but then missed as she rolled out of the way in time.

Leaving the embedded katana, Minato continued to follow Esdeath who blocked his first horizontal attack. She ducked under the next one and ran right past him. As he chased her, Esdeath skidded around a tree and began to run in the other direction. Minato saw this and stopped himself right in his tracks and turned around to go after her. Slashing his sister's lowered form, he missed as Esdeath once again skidded along the ground and looped back around to Minato. Seeing a new rock, she kicked off the material with a horizontal slash but unfortunately was unsuccessful.

Esdeath stepped backwards while blocking one of Minato's attacks. Dodging the next one by ducking, she took back the offensive as their clashing went under way once more. Every attack she made would meet his blocking, the sound of metal clashing filling the air. But then they made it back to the katana Minato had buried into the ground and he grabbed the handle.

Leaning back to avoid a thrust, Esdeath was now backing up to avoid the sharp edges of her swords. Minato thrusted again, his sword being stuck in a tree like before. But then he used it to his advantage in a way, constantly attacking so that Esdeath would have to eventually bang her head against the sword and end up hurting herself.

Seeing how that strategy wasn't working though, the blue-haired male slashed in the other direction, knocking the katana out of the tree as Esdeath ducked. Trying to counter attack, she only managed a second or two of aggressive play before Minato was in charge once again. Kicking her back to the trunk of the tree, Minato went for an overhead slash.

Esdeath blocked the attack, keeping them locked for a bit. Spinning their blades in a wide circle, she began to push and move forward to get them away from the tree truck her back was on. It only worked for a couple of seconds like before, until Minato retaliated by hopping into the air and kicking Esdeath square in the stomach.

The General skidded back a bit, burying the tip of her rapier into the ground to stop her from moving any further. Looking up, she smirked. "I see that you aren't holding back much of your strength." She stated, slowly moving up to her feet.

Minato walked around, waiting for Esdeath to get ready to fight once more. "You said you wanted to practice for the final upcoming battle. Especially since you think Akame of Night Raid will be after your life, you wanted me to use a summon that specialized in swordplay."

"Yes." Esdeath nodded her head in agreement. But her playful look began to lower a bit, clearly showing that she was displeased with something. "But you should know that there is one other reason for this."

Minato sighed, almost predicting this coming. "This is also a means of punishment for allowing Kurome and Wave to leave the Jaegers without your consent." He stared straight at Esdeath. "They deserve it, Sister. Wave wants Kurome to live and make her happy. Kurome meanwhile has been fighting a war she was never supposed to be a part of for almost half of her life. I simply relieved them of their duties and gave them a blessing of mine… Which they seemed happy for."

Esdeath sighed. "That still does not help the fact that they abandoned their duties of the Empire." She stated.

"If I were dying and the only way to save me were to leave the services of the Empire, would you do that?" Minato asked, earning him a frown from Esdeath. "With Kurome's life on the line, Wave is willing to do whatever in his power to help her and make her happy." He rolled his neck. "Love works in odd ways."

"…I see…" Esdeath said to herself quietly, the volume low enough for Minato to be unable to hear her. Taking in a deep breath, she looked back to her brother's eyes. "Better keep your guard up, Brother." She warned with a grin, changing the grip of her rapier, holding the blade upside down so that it pointed to the ground. With the way it was angled, it almost touched the ground.

This fight was about to become more intense. She knew it. She was going to make it be like that.

"…This is a new method." Minato commented, looking down to the tip of the weapon before looking up to Esdeath's hand. Raising his own weapon, he stared her down.

Stepping to the side, Minato tried to slash Esdeath. But then the General stepped to the side and raised her rapier in his direction and blocked the steel. Jabbing her fist forward, Minato had to leap back to avoid the tip of her rapier. Trying hard to strike her, every slash was parried and immediately countered with a punch.

Moving back and forth, Minato made it harder for Esdeath to jab in his direction, but she simply adapted to the situation as she just moved around as well. Their blades swung left to right, forward and back. Steel clashed against one another as sparks would fly upon contact.

Managing to catch her armed hand out in the open, Minato charged forward and forced Esdeath to go backwards. With is blade at his front, he almost cut the General. But then she created a small ice-rock beneath her feet which helped her trip backwards and kicked her legs upwards to force her brother to soar over her and away so that he couldn't get a cut on her.

Running to her opponent, Esdeath didn't make it fast enough as Minato was back up on his feet. Locking blades, Minato kicked her right in the stomach. But she kept her ground as she simply began clashing blades with him again. Grabbing each other, they moved on their feet trying to throw one another down to the ground.

Minato managed to win that small bit by slamming Esdeath against another trunk of a tree. Poising to stab her, Esdeath escaped by ramming the butt of her rapier handle right against his face. Stepping forward and after Minato, she changed her grip on her weapon back to normal. With her original grip, she slashed his mid-section just as he recovered. But Minato didn't let it stop him since the only damage he felt was something affecting his ribs.

Rushing as if uninjured, he tried to kick her side but then Esdeath defended herself with her elbow. Spinning around with her ice and past Minato, she almost cut his face but then her brother managed to defend himself just in time by putting his weapon up.

Minato stumbled back. Looking at the ground, he saw that his second blade was just at his feet. Picking up the weapon, Minato regained his dual-wielding status as he took the offensive with swift swings. Esdeath landed a hit his mid-section again in a counter hit and it caused Minato to reel back slightly. Once again, he didn't bleed due to the armor but still felt his body injured.

Raising her blade, she tried to vertically strike Minato's shoulder. But then the male crossed his blades and raised them up to just managed to stop the action from doing so. Slowly pushing upwards, Minato cocked one arm back and thrusted his katana. Esdeath dodged, leaning to the side. Seeing another thrust, the General grabbed the blue-haired male and threw him over her shoulder.

Rolling on the ground, Minato got up and had to block an attack from Esdeath. Trying to counter attack, he missed as his sister ducked right under it. She soon began to spin around, the transparent cold beneath her feet helping her mobility. Every rotation was accompanied by a slash to Minato's legs as she managed to cut them a couple of times. The slashing was precise, managing to create slits along the area that weren't covered by the armor.

Standing back up, she grabbed the blade of her rapier in her other hand while encasing the weapon and hand in ice. She soon ended up slamming the weapon right against the armpits of Minato. With more power pushing upwards, she tossed her brother into the air. Watching him fall, she didn't stop as she spun around. With a slash, several spikes of ice followed and punctured his skin while watching him skid along the ground.

Minato slightly panted, feeling the pain throb. Feeling as if it were hard to breath, he still got up. But then Esdeath was right on top of him, soaring through the air and riding a huge block of ice that slammed right onto his head.

Flipping backwards and landing on her feet, she could have sworn she heard Minato gurgle. Looking direction at the male, he was panting which made her frown. Sure, she was tired too. She panted as well. But the way Minato breathed was as if he were breathless.

"Brother…" Esdeath said slowly. "The fight is over. If I didn't encase my weapon in ice to make her blade dull, you would have lost your arm." She gestured to the limb she was talking about. "Not only that, but I also stabbed several points of the body that would make you bleed out within minutes. Though I doubt it would be enough to stop Akame of Night Raid, I still think it would cripple her enough for me to kill her quickly."

Shakily getting up, Minato tilted his head. "Then show me what you mean." He requested as he stepped forward to attack her.

Esdeath used both of her hands to move her blade fast enough to slash his leg. Not even allowing a second to pass, she moved her weapon upwards to slash his face. Next came what would have bee a massive cut on Minato's hip but was a severe blow/. After that, the mid-section on his side before slashing the other. Each attack came with cold fury as more blood began to pool and stain Minato body as uncovered areas were exposed for opportunity. The boy couldn't even move in retaliation due to the speed of Esdeath and the crippling pain he felt at the moment.

With a final stab to his chest, Esdeath stopped as the impact was strong enough to create a large dent in the armor. Still standing, Minato spat out blood like a fountain for less than a second. "I asked for that…" He groaned in a whisper. Stepping forward, his steps were weak as he stumbled without enough strength. Falling forward, Esdeath was right at his side to catch him.

Dispelling his costume, his fingers twitched as he eyed the Empress arcana. Wincing, he tried to crush the card. It was extremely tough for him to. "…Artemesia." He managed to grit out before breaking the card by making a fist.

Coming to life, the Persona of his choice looked over the two of them. The summon knew what it was supposed to do just with a single look at the situation. Raising her hand, she began to heal Minato. The green light was warm. Although she was not actually having her flesh knit back together, Esdeath felt the radiating warmth of the light.

Within seconds, Minato was back to full health externally. "Brother… Are you okay?" The General asked, stepping backwards as Minato was standing at full height. "You were out of breath earlier than usual when fighting." She frowned. "You've also had been visiting that doctor of Wild Hunt a lot before stopping when she was killed by Night Raid… Is there something I need to be concerned about?"

"…I'm fine." Minato shook his head.

"…" Esdeath stayed silent, seeming to refuse such an answer. She couldn't tell if he was lying or not. Most likely he was since he was visiting a doctor after all. Her frown was still on her face as Minato stared back at her. Reluctantly, she turned around and began to walk.

She was interrupted after a couple of steps though when she heard Minato enter a fit of violent coughs. "See?" She stated, turned around. "I knew something was o-"

Esdeath cut herself off when she was blood splattered all around the ground. But then there was something far more concerning. "Minato!"

Lying in the dirt was her brother, unconscious and pale.

 **PXA**

Esdeath stayed standing next to the door that led to the room where Minato was being examined.

Although she didn't show it at all, she was agitated. She had to admit, it was a bit shocking to her that it seemed Minato was fine one moment before coughing up blood and lying unconscious the next. It seemed that her suspicions were correct that something was up, but she didn't what it was though. It was obvious that her brother was aware of it however. Why else would he visit that doctor of Wild Hunt before they had died?

Hearing the door beside her click, she was brought out of her thoughts when she saw a male doctor walk out of the room with a confused expression on his face. "How is my brother?" Esdeath asked, eyes staring at the male from the corner of her vision. Her gaze was slightly narrowed, almost as if she promised pain if she didn't like the answer.

The doctor flinched for a bit, but then cleared his throat. "His condition is one I've seen many times before." He answered, shaking his head as if ridding himself of some bad thoughts. "I'm not sure how it came to be… but…" He looked up to the female standing tall and staring down at him. "General Esdeath… your brother is dying."

Esdeath's eyes widened at the news as she found her mouth unable to utter a word. Nothing else changed on her person. Body language, mouth, it all stayed the same. Only her eyes changed and it proved to be extremely significant. She took a sharp deep breath, the words running through her mind over and over again.

"General… It is tough… I know from experience." The doctor attempted to console the female as she lowered her cap so her gaze wouldn't be seen. "Parting ways with a loved one and family is a feat no one is ready for… But now is the time to make sure he is happy before he departs."

"…How long does he have?" Esdeath asked quietly, but managed to be loud enough to not show her emotions.

"Hours… days," The doctor lowered his own head somberly. "Perhaps a week to a month. It all depends on how much stress is put onto his body." With those words, the man in the white coat walked away.

So his body was failing… Shouldn't Minato be able to heal himself? Or would that be just injuries. There was that time when he managed to cure what ailed Kurome for a bit, but then again the poison within the girl still existed. Perhaps… there was the fact that Minato couldn't heal himself to prevent his death.

Eyeing the door now, Esdeath stepped to the side and was right in front of the barrier. Looking up and down, the door seemed to be a lot more ominous than it was supposed to be.

Reaching forward, she grabbed the knob. But then she couldn't turn it. No, it wasn't that. She didn't want to turn it. What was stopping her? She looked down to see her hand shaking slightly. Excitement? No, she would never be like that to her bother dying.

Fear?

What was there to be afraid of? It was as her brother believed. Memento Mori. Everything has its time. Everything must eventually come to an end. Esdeath frowned at the thought. That was true but… Minato's time came too soon. There was just the final, upcoming battle left before they could all be at peace. Her brother was a fighter, but only when the occasion would arise. Minato was one who chose whether to fight or not, like every other person.

Slowly releasing her grip, Esdeath looked to the side and down a large hall where other people were walking. Some even sat on benches, consoling one another. A couple of them were crying as well. Was… she about to be like that? Would she be reduced to tears when the time would come?

Once more, the General eyed the door that led to Minato's room where he was supposed to rest. She sighed. This decision was a lot harder than she had anticipated. She never thought that such a decision was going to be a lot tougher than she expected.

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the knob once more and opened the door.

 **PXA**

Makoto was very stressed at the moment.

All he could do was just pace around, thinking about what he could do. Biting his own thumb, the carpet in his room was being worn down by he heels of his footwear. Nibbling on a nail, thoughts ran through his head as if they would come and go within an instance before moving onto the next one. Such a pattern was a beat inside his head at a rhythmic pace.

Why?

Everything he was doing, everything he had ordered had led to one complication after another. He felt like his fault, but something else was off completely. Each of his orders were well thought out, thinking about the good and bad events that would play out when issued. But then what came instead was nothing good, nothing bad, but extremely worse-case scenarios.

It was as if everyone was against him…

Makoto knew Minato was subtle about it, but it was a bit obvious at the same time in a way for the Emperor to not exactly take Prime Minister Honest's words sincerely. Since he was a child, Makoto knew that no one would really take him seriously, so they would mainly listen to the next person with the highest authority. It would make absolute sense if people would do what Honest told them…

… What Honest told them…?

That's it! Despite his own orders, Makoto thought they would be put out. But no! Honest was really the one in charge! Not only that, there's a war coming up as well. With such a violent battle soon, there was no way everyone would listen to a child about the issue. Once again, the next person with the highest authority.

Makoto soon began to realize something.

Honest was really in charge…

…There was a war coming up…

…And the Emperor was all alone in a room that was too quiet.

Hearing glass shatter, Makoto only managed to catch a glimpse of a figure pounceing at him from the corner of his eye.

Feeling a cloth over his mouth, Makoto's breathed and everything went hazy.

 **PXA**

"Just a few more hours… and the assault on the Imperial capital will commence."

Najenda snapped a pocket watch shut, staring up to the banner that contained their name and symbol. Behind her, the three remaining members of Night Raid were right behind her; Akame, Leone, and Tatsumi. Turning around, she addressed each of them altogether. "Upon discovery of the ice cavalry General Esdeath was able to create with her Teigu, our plans have slightly changed. So listen carefully."

Leone put her hand behind her head, as if relaxed despite the feeling that she wasn't. "An army of ice…" Leone sighed, looking up a bit in thought. "Esdeath really could fight an entire war on her own."

"For starters and to point out," Najenda looked directly at the blonde of Night Raid. "She's not someone we can simply ignore and push to the side. But back to the topic at hand." Her visible eye looked over to Akame. "Both you and Akame will act according to the plan thus far, infiltrating the Imperial Palace. I will join the general offensive and lead the Teigu troops. Tatsumi, you'll be coming with me."

The brunette narrowed his eyes slightly. "So I'll be out and in the open?"

Najenda looked down a bit, a single bead of sweat running down her brow. "Esdeath's overwhelming power is beyond our imagination. If she attacks us and you're not around, there will be no hope of stopping her. I know this will put an even greater burden on both Akame and Leone as well but…"

"No one's going to have it easy out there!" Akame stated, trying to ease her boss' mind. "We'll be fine!"

Leone shrugged. "Well, if my best friend is saying that, I guess I'll have to give it my all too."

Watching the three assassins in front of her, Najenda couldn't help but smile a bit at their attitude. "Right!" She nodded. "However, there had been an optional addition to the targets though!" That got everyone's attention though as they gave looks of confusion. "Let me review the new list. There is Prime Minister Honest, General Esdeath, Minister of Military Affairs Koukei, Saikyuu, Youkan, and Dousen. But… the new target, if the event were to ever come, is Minato."

"What?!" Leone exclaimed, the reveal also getting surprised looks from Akame and Tatsumi.

"You all have seen and interacted with him." Najenda eyed each member of Night Raid carefully. "He's a wild card in this war. We have no idea if he will be participating in this war or not. The chances of him doing that however are extremely slim. But if he were to ever discover Esdeath's life in danger, he will not hesitate to intervene and protect her. If that were to happen, we'll have to kill him before getting to the General." The white-haired female raised an eyebrow. "Leone, do you-?"

"No! I don't have a problem with that!" The blonde exclaimed, throwing her hands up as if stopping the thought. But the she slightly looked away from a gaze that she was receiving. "It's just that… this is Minato. He… pretty much helped us out when we were almost caught when assassinating Bolic, almost being publicly executed for what he did."

Najenda listened, closing her eye. "It is difficult, that is true." She stated, taking in a deep breath. "But this is war, Leone." Her eyelid opened up but was narrowed in the blonde's direction. "Remember that the target is optional, only kill when the situation rises."

"…" Leone sighed, rubbing her head. She then rolled her neck, popping several air bubbles while cracking her knuckles. "Got it. In that case, let's get going soon."

The leader nodded her head. "In that case, move out! Night Raid will finish off all the final targets!"

 **PXA**

Esdeath stared at Minato as he laid in the white bed that was the only object in the room.

Looking at the sleeping figure, it was almost hard for Esdeath to believe that the person was actually dying at the very moment. There was no look of conflict on their person. Only a peaceful expression was on Minato's face, as if he knew what was happening and accepted it. But he was asleep, it wasn't like he knew what was happening to his body. Right?

…Was this what those visits to the Wild Hunt group was for? So he could have his body examined and hopefully could be able to have them help him? No, it couldn't' be.

She shook her head. Just in time too as she saw Minato begin to stir. His eyes fluttered, as if blinking sleep out of his eyes after a slumber. The male stared upwards, unmoving and unresponsive. A confused expression took over his face as he soon began to look around. As soon as eyes laid upon Esdeath, he blinked once again. "…Sister?" He asked slowly and quietly.

"You're in a hospital, Brother." Esdeath answered the unasked question that she assumed lingered in Minato mind. "After our spar, you coughed up blood despite your healing and fainted."

"…Ah, right." Minato said lightly, remembering what had happened.

"Brother… Is there something you are not telling me?"

Minato paused, staring right at Esdeath. The General had her arms folded and an expression that demanded and begged for him not to lie. Closing his eyes, he remembered that he was in a hospital so a doctor must have examined him and gave her the results. Sighing softly, he opened his eyes and looked at his sister. "I think you already know… I am dying. I'm not sure how much time I have though… it all depends on my body and how much stress I put on it."

"…So it is true." Esdeath looked away slightly. A moment of silence erupted between the two siblings as only the voices outside of the door were heard. Moment by moment passed, no one uttered a word or sound. "…Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was hoping it wouldn't have been found out until the final battle." Minato admitted, craning his head around to look at the window that presented a view of the Imperial capital. "You have a burden even heavier than anyone could imagine, being the one ace for the Empire to win. Everyone knows this, including the Revolutionary Army. No doubt that they have a plan to isolate you and attack without mercy."

"Let them come." Esdeath stated. "It will be a glorious fight."

"And what if you die?" Minato asked curtly.

Esdeath blinked, as if caught off-guard by Minato's words. She shifted her body a bit in thought. "I won't. I have complete confidence that I will win."

"Will you?" Minato asked another question. But before Esdeath could reply, he continued on. "Maybe you will win." He turned his head back to his sister. "But nobody wins for long, Sister. Everyone… anyone will eventually lose. It doesn't matter what or who it is… it will eventually happen."

Esdeath frowned. "Right." She looked down this time. "Even if I fight, I will still lose you."

Once more… silence. This time, their breaths were extremely deep. A bubble dwelled inside their bodies, threatening to explode. But then kept it inside. They kept it close. They did not let it burst and spread through their systems. Mentally, they vowed for this moment not to make it seem like it was the end. Not yet. The time had not yet come. There was still so much for them to do together.

Stepping forward, Esdeath pulled up a chair that was right next to the bed. Without a word, she sat down. She looked down at his hand, the limb not moving at all. It was as if he were already dead. Bringing up her own fingers, she wrapped them around Minato's single hand. Their eyes met, reading the emotions that each of them were trying to hide.

"My life will just disappear." Minato sighed, looking up. He reached up to the ceiling as if he could grab it. "Everything I am, gone in a moment like a breath on a mirror. Time comes and goes, stays the same yet changes. all We change as well, when you think about it. We all can be different people throughout our lives and that's okay. You have to keep moving forward so long as you remember all the people that you used to be."

Esdeath looked at her brother's expression this time, as if remembering something from a long time ago. It was… that look he held before. Back when she embraced him when Minato came back when their entire village perished.

She took a deep breath, trying to keep herself in control. It was at that moment, she came to a decision.

Minato felt a chill along his hand. Looking down, he saw the hand that was holding onto Esdeath's suddenly becoming encased in ice. "…Sister?" He asked, as if betrayed. "Why?"

"You don't have to die yet, Brother." Esdeath stated, clutching his limb tightly, focusing on encasing his entire body into ice. "When the war is over… I'll leave the Empire… explore the land. Maybe there will be something out there that will be able to help your body recover." Her gaze narrowed, determined. "You won't have to go."

Minato continued to look down at the ice crawling up his body. "Yes, I did say that." He confirmed. "But it must happen, Sister. You don't understa-"

"Shh…" Esdeath stood up and placed a finger against Minato's lips. "It's okay, Minato." She whispered into his ear. "Everything will be fine. Just let me take care of everything…"

Reaching to his back, Minato felt himself touching his own clothing and flesh. Looking around, he saw his book at the other side of the room. With his free hand extended, he tried to reach for the object despite his distance from the object. But soon, his hand was frozen like almost all of his body.

"Sister…" Minato managed to breathe out before becoming completely frozen.

Releasing her grip, Esdeath breathed but couldn't tell if it was due to relief or sorrow. She almost dropped to her knees, but managed to catch herself and stayed up on her feet. Grabbing the book, she hooked it onto her person before grabbing the ice statue of Minato.

Opening the window, she leapt out and landed on one of the rooftops of the many building within the Imperial capital before running with amazing speed towards the castle.

She completely ignored the looks she received as she sped past everyone with Minato still in her grip. Entering her quarters, she locked the door before laying her brother on her bed. She then dropped the book gently next to him.

"I will not die yet," Esdeath slowly said, looking out of her balcony window. The day had already ended. War was coming soon. "And I will not lose you."

 **PXA**

The entire capital was surrounded by soldiers, both ready to fight for their beliefs.

The Revolutionary Army each had shields with crosses on them, as if they were a symbol of peace or that they were the true saviors. Many were uniformed and wore helmets, each having large builds that meant they trained very hard for this day. Behind them, many tools and weapons were ready to fire at the wall of the capital to infiltrate.

The Imperial Army was almost exactly like the opposition. Many soldiers stood at the ready, blades raised as if the enemy were already close to them. Their own helmets shadowed their gazes as they stood firmly in place, determined to defend their home. Along the capital wall's, cannon poked out and were ready to fire.

Atop of the wall looking at the action was Esdeath, hands on her hips as she observed the action that had not started yet. "Enemies as far as the eyes can see… How wonderful." She breathed with a smile on her face.

"They're planning to come at us from every direction." Suzuka breathed, as if anticipating the action already. She could already feel the pain coursing through her body with every slash that would be made to her person.

Esdeath looked down, noticing the many warriors made of ice standing at the very front of the Imperial Army. Proud they stood, feeling the need to fight just like their creator. "Let's see how they react when they're face to face with our ice cavalry."

Before she could give a command though, the Revolutionary Army released a barrage of cannon balls straight towards her. Esdeaht looked elated at such. Snapping her fingers, ice coated her feet and she began to float upwards. With a throwing motion soon after, waves of icicle shards matched each sphere of iron and forced the ball to explode before reaching her.

Najenda was shocked but not surprised.

All of the cannonballs that were ordered to fire were destroyed as she expected. But it was within almost a second that they were all destroyed.

The plan was not to gradually have her use up her energy though. The General had too much to spare.

But still, Najenda had other means in her head. On the horse that was provided for her, she narrowed her eyes towards Esdeath who almost seemed to stare back at her. Despite the distance, she could tell that the General was smirking. Th blue-haired woman was welcoming the challenge.

Raising her metallic arm, a soldier behind released a colored flare into the sky.

A loud rumbling could be heard and became louder as seconds passed. Many Dangers Beasts, all of massive sizes, were thundering towards the battle, all with the Revolutionary Army sign on their skulls. They all seemed to have a hatred for the Empire, but it was really the command to attack by a single man sitting cross-legged on the leading monster's head with a smile on his face.

Looking forward, Najenda saw the Emprie fire their own flare. Almost as fast as it was for their Danger Beasts of the land to come, such monsters from the sky began to fall and fly into combat. It soon became something nature had intended, the survival of the fittest. Each army's side of monsters fought to the death, ripping each other apart as if it were a sickening sport.

Eyeing the land in front of them, Najenda saw the ice cavalry coming right towards them. She knew that they couldn't afford to waste time against them because of a waste of energy. Plus they were tough opponents and the battle has not started yet. "Tatsumi!" She called out.

The brunette easily rushing through the front, activating Incursio and demolishing the frozen soldiers.

Listening to the cheers from the soldiers, Najenda still didn't like how this battle was far from over.

 **PXA**

At the very top of the palace inside, it was a scene that was not very pleasant.

Prime Minister Honest calmly made his way across the floor with a flight of stairs right in front of him. Behind him the fat man was a single guard dragging a very groggy-looking Makoto across the flat surface. The two adults didn't care about the condition of the Makoto except for the fact that the mind of the boy was still operational at least.

Standing at the bottom of the stairs, Honest looked over to the guard that was accompanying him. "And here we are. The battle has just begun, but it will end as fast as it has started." He grinned, looking down at the boy. "It looks like the Devil's Whisper drug is working right now. With that administered, he should do whatever he's told. Let's see…" The adult bent over and leaned in close to the boy. "Makoto, say yes if you can hear me."

"…" The boy almost lazily reacted, his eyes half closed. It was as if he were really asleep with his body only being able to function at the sound of a voice. "…Yes." He just managed to wheeze out, unable to control his body and mouth.

Honest kept his shit-eating grin on his face. "Wonderful. Now, General Esdeath is currently holding the enemy at bay. We must prepare for the battle ourselves. Everyone thinks that General Esdeath is our trump card… but it is really you, Makoto."

"…" The young Emperor didn't respond.

Searching his person, Honest eventually pulled out the scepter that belonged to the boy and handed it over. "Go on, take it." The fat-man nodded, watching the boy slowly grab the object. "That is the key to activate the supreme Teigu. But there is one other key to use it, the blood of the Great Emperor. Only you are able to use it, your majesty. Go forward and activate it."

Within, Makoto didn't want to. He tried to force himself to stop. His internal screams were not verbal as he just walked forward, up the stairs. Each step was almost a struggle inside, as if managing to fight. But second by second past, and he lost it every time. Hid physical body would drag itself up the stairs and eventually made it to the top to stand in front of a grand alter with a hole the perfect size for the scepter in his hand.

"You are truly the spitting image of your late father, the previous father, did you know that?" Honest asked, making Makoto's uncontrollable body stop and listen. "From his looks to his soft-hearted, weak, personality." The Prime Minsiter goaded with a smile. "He was too kind and gentle, a far too problematic thing for an emperor. It's a shame I had to poison him."

As if Makoto managed to have control of his body for a moment, the young boy managed to turn around slowly at the news. "Oh, do not worry." Honest continued. "It was the most humane, merciful thing I could have done. Unlike what happened to your mother. I couldn't have her end up as queen, so I had no other option but to shove poison down her throat." He then looked up to see the boy staring at her. "Well, what are you waiting for? Activate the supreme Teigu and destroy those the threaten the Empire."

Makoto didn't want to do it though. He wanted to strangle Honest. He was just a young child, but then the full anger of a grown man boiled within the small body. He wanted to lash out, beat the disgusting pig with the very object in his hands.

But he couldn't help but do as Honest told him. Makoto internally wept as he inserted his scepter into the hole.

He felt so weak…

 **PXA**

Tatsumi roared in fury as he continued to demolish the ice cavalry Esdeath had created.

Each cold soldier was at his mercy as he broke them without mercy. Knowing that they were made of frozen water only made it easier for him to cut them down, break them to pieces. Looking forward, he saw more come his way. But there was one other person that caught his eye. They charged right towards him like predator lunging for its prey.

Esdeath had entered battle, and was coming straight for him.

"I'll force my way through, kill the commander, and bring victory!" Esdeath exclaimed, cutting down all of the opposition swiftly while riding on a horse made of ice.

Hearing this, Tatsumi easily reacted quickly. "You think I'll let you, Esdeath?!" He roared, his armor from Incursio protecting him and granting him the necessary strength needed to fight. He shattered the frozen horse as he passed her.

Esdeath had a surprised look on her face due to the sudden interference. But then a feral grin took over her features when she noticed who had done such a thing. "You're here, Tatsumi!" She exclaimed in mad glee. "I have been waiting for this moment!"

Leaping into the air, she fell down right towards the assassin of Night Raid as the male went straight for her. The ground beneath shattered behind the forces of impact that were made with each hit that was created within seconds. Tatsumi couldn't help but defend against every attack made by the General, already struggling with grunts of concentration.

Lashing out his free hand, he grabbed onto an arm that was overextended. "Caught you! I'll get you before you can make your ice armor!" Tatsumi roared, stabbing forward with the spear in his hand.

Esdeath however smirked. "You don't know what it means to touch me, do you?" She asked. Before Tatsumi couldn't managed to pierce her skin, she tapped his hand with her free limb. The effect was almost instant, completely freezing the armored brunette in place.

It didn't last long though as Tatsumi burst out of his prison of ice, retreating backwards just a bit to catch his breath. "It's too early to be exhausted Tatsumi." He heard the General speak, walking towards him calmly. "I'm just starting to get warmed up now."

He gritted his teeth as Esdeath went for him once more. Her strikes were precise, purposefully toying with him. Tatsumi wanted to take advantage of it, but he could only focus on defense due to their difference in strength.

He needed more power. He needed more speed. He needed everything in order to stand up against the mightiest in all the Empire!

Tatsumi called upon the power of Incursio, his combat capabilities increasing immensely all of a sudden. Now he was on the offensive, turning the tables within a second. He managed to force Esdeath back. But rather than fear, happiness dwelled within her. "Wonderful! Brilliant, Tatsumi!"

Touching the ground, a massive, thick pillar of ice knocked Tatsumi into the air. With a fierce gesture of her hands, she created a giant block of ice right above the brunette to crush him. She was completely successful as the chunk landed on the ground and landed right on top of Tatsumi. "Come on, I know that's not all you've got!" She roared with pleasure as Tatsumi broke out of the ice. "On your feet! Entertain me more! Please me!"

But before their battle could continue, a loud gong rang trough the entire battlefield.

The effect was instant. Both factions stopped what they were doing to look at the source of the sound. Each of them were dumbstruck, as if they couldn't believe what had happened. "The signal to pull back for now?!" Esdeath exclaimed, looking backwards and saw the chaos.

The capital was almost completely engulfed in flames. Maybe about half of it actually. "Damn…" she cursed under her breath. "The Imperial capital is a wreck." Esdeath narrowed her eyes. She tried to make out the flames and their location. Squinting a bit more, she widened her eyes. "The palace as well…"

Creating an ice horse, she mounted onto the construct as she looked over towards Tatsumi. "You've impressed me, Tatsumi! You managed to hold me back this time! Let us meet again soon!" Swiftly, she retreated towards the palace.

Tatsumi meanwhile felt nearly exhausted, on one of his hands and both knees he had to rest. Hearing a horse pull up next to him, he looked up to see Najenda. "Are you okay, Tatsumi?" She asked, stopping right next to the assassin of Night Raid.

"Yeah… somehow." Tatsumi panted. "Her power knows no limits…"

Najenda nodded with approval. "Good job on drawing Esdeath's attention away. During that time, with the aid of the Teigu troops, we were able to completel destroy the opposition's castle gates!"

"We did it…" Tatsumi breathed, looking down while not looking happy. "Though it took a bit of a toll on my body…" He carefully observed his hands. "I think the fusion with Incursio is starting… I feel so comfortable with the armor on."

"What?!" Najenda exclaimed, whipped her head back. "Then-"

"No, I won't take it off!" Tatsumi responded back. "I can't quite explain it… but I know that by the end of this war my body is going to end up tattered and broken. But… if I can help bring about an era of peace, it's more than worth it." He slowly began to stand up, struggling by remaining strong. "All I ask is that I'm left with enough strength when it's all said and down to protect Mine. That's all the power I need. I', going to see this through until we all cry our shouts of victory!"

Najenda was taken aback by his words of determination. For a split second, she swore she saw a man with blue-hair rather than the brunette with that kind of inspiration. But she shook her head. "Tatsumi…" She breathed. "Don't worry. This war is already won. Even retreating now to defend the palace, they're far too la-"

"Hey… Over there… Some strange thing…"

A single soldier spoke out loud. It was like the gong from earlier, his voice almost deafening and loud across the battlefield. Everyone seemed to follow the finger that was being pointed. Slowly turning, everyone couldn't help but stare with mixed feelings. But none of them were positive.

In their sights was a giant standing in the middle of the capital. It looks like a giant emperor with its clothing, a giant blue cloak and collar being worn on the body. Massive shoulder-pads helped create the giant look. But the head was completely different. The mouth was an open rectangle, almost like a mouth. A single eye was at the center of the face, the color being red as if enraged.

Before anyone could say anything, the chest began to open. Inside, an actual eye presented itself to the world. Light gathered around the pupil, shining. It only took a single second. A single second to fire across the capital, out of the walls, and onto the battlefield.

A single second… a single beam… too many lives lost within that amount of time.

Najenda and Tatsumi watched with horror as so many lives were wiped out. No one had a change to survive that as the shot practically stripped away the flesh of those unfortunate enough to be in it. After the flesh, the bones disintegrated. Not even a single bit of dust or ash, anything that could be considered remains were left of the poor victims.

 **PXA**

Esdeath's room was isolated, filled with the sounds of muffled chaos around the area.

The frozen body of Minato couldn't hear such though, the ice around his body preventing him from doing so. A single person in the room knew about this as they walked up to the frozen body. Looking down they couldn't help but stare.

Their eyes then turned to the book that laid next to him. The person reached over and picked up the book and began to read its pages. The blanks sheets were now filled with ink that created many stories, moving images also being a part of the papers. "Ah, it seems you have created many bonds throughout your remaining time here. That is most certainly wonderful. But you are not done yet, are you?"

Placing a finger over the top of the frozen body, the person traced a line from the top to the bottom. With a tap, the ice shell split in half and freed Minato from his frozen prison.

 **PXA**

Honest cackled with glee at the sight of the chaos in front of him.

"Incredible! Magnificent!" He exclaimed, standing on a balcony right behind the giant. "We obliterated thousands of enemy soldiers in just a single blast?! Now, you will see what hell truly is. Rebel scum! This is the Empire's trump card! The very origin and pinnacle of all, the Supreme Teigu; Shikoutazer!"

He watched as Shikoutazer fired many more shots all over the land outside of the capital. Watching from a pair of binoculars, he chuckled to himself. "Giving order to fire from a safe a secure location is brilliant! Just like this, I can kill people in droves! I'm pretty sure I've already killed tens of thousands! Clearly this is the most rational and logical method!"

"But even I have to admit, this is absolute overkill! Blasting the rebel army to smithereens! This battel is so lopsided, I just can't help but laugh!"

So many shots were fired. So much chaos was created. Honest was completely enjoying himself. He even had to say and confess that he was a sick son of a bitch. And why should he care? He would admit it with pride. No one would be able to do anything about it.

Hearing a sound, he looked down and saw a bloody body right next to his feet. "What was that?" He asked, blinking with surprise as he turned around.

"And now, you've got no one left to hide behind."

Flexing her hand, Leone walked forward with her Teigu already transforming her.

Honest backed up with surprise. "A-a-an assassin?!" He questioned with shock. "You infiltrated the palace and made it all the way to the highest floor?!

Leone cracked her knuckles. "Oh how I've been waiting for this very moment." She glared, grinding her teeth in preparation of punching the fat man to death. Cocking back her fist, she charged forward.

"N-no! Wait! Please, wait!" Honest panicked, still trying to back up. Raising his hands in defense, he stood in place. But then he stopped the fist right in its tracks. He looked up, seeing Leone's shocked look. "Oh, did I manage to block it?" He asked, his fear disappearing and his arrogant side showing once more.

"What?!" Leone exclaimed, pushing back with shock.

"Surprised?" Honest asked, taking off his massive coat. "It was quite some time ago, but my subordinate was trying to sell me on the usefulness of an assassination squad. Although you had the surrounding chaos help you, you still made it all the way here on your own. Assassins are quite troublesome indeed."

Leone narrowed her eyes. "I didn't make it here all on my own." She stated. "I came here on the broad shoulder of countless others…" So many people flashed in her mind, her family, friends, and other she was close to. "Their sacrifice is the reason I stand here now! And so for each one of them, I'll kill you 100 times over!"

Charging forward once more, she tried to kick the Prime Minister but then Honest blocked it with his arm. "If that's the case, I'll just have to kill you 200 times!" Honest retorted as Leone gritted her teeth.

With a flurry of punches and kicks, the blonde tried to hurt the large adult. But then Honest seemed to manage himself fine on his own, his hands blocking and taking hits without much pain. Leaping back to avoid a swipe, he countered with a flurry of his own punches. "That was disappointing." Honest mocked.

Leone was bruised all over as she felt pain all over her body. "You can use martial arts?!"

"In order to indulge in one's hearts content and enjoy a long life, it's important one maintain a strong, stout body." Honest simply said as he walked forward. "In my younger days, it would be an understatement to say that I trained diligently. And thanks to that…" He stood right over the fallen Leone. "I'm rather durable and tough to this day. But that fight left me a bit hungry." She licked his lips while eyeing her exposed stomach. "Your belly meat looks so savory."

Leone kicked him right in the stomach before he could lay his sweaty hands on her though. Getting back up, Leone grinned at how she loved Lionel's recovery ability. "Looks like you didn't know about my Teigu's trump card."

Honest coughed up blood. "I can't believe… you'd kick me right in the stomach! That's just mean and cruel!"

Leone lunged forward again. "Mean and cruel?! Drop dead you heartless fuck!" She roared.

Clutching his stomach, Honest's eyes were shadowed. "I'll have to refuse your request. By the way, you're in range."

The headband on the man suddenly opened up and shined a light. Just was fast as it appeared, Leone's Teigu shattered and her transformation disappeared. She felt the power she would usually get disappear. "My Teigu broke?!" She exclaimed.

Those were her last words before being shot in the stomach.

"Consider that payback for kicking me in the gut." Honest stated, having a gun in his hands which he pulled out from a side holster on his hip. "It's a waste how you made me waste my precious Teigu so quickly though… It takes a week to charge you know."

But Leone didn't fall, she stood up despite the blood flowing out of her stomach. "If you think… that'll be enough to kill me you've got another thing-"

"Sorry," Honest apologized. "But unfortunately, I've run out of time to play with you. His majesty has been unassisted for far too long." Shooting Leone in the stomach for a second time, she felt Honest grab him by the hair. "Don't you dare pass out on these hallowed grounds of the place. A degenerate wretch like you deserves to die in the dirt."

Leone soon felt herself thrown off of the balcony.

As she felt and blood poured out of her body, she began to think. Was this really where she will die?! She promised Akame that she would be the one to kill the Prime Minster! She promised Tatsumi to help him get through the effects of fusing with his Teigu! She promised herself that she would tell Mine the good news!

She-

Feeling her body land on the ground, she laid in place surrounded by her own blood and didn't move.

 **PXA**

So much chaos ensued and Makoto felt like he couldn't do anything about it.

He could hear the screams and panic of everyone as the inside of Shikoutazer allowed him such a scene to be presented and heard. All of his actions were made on their own, each one commanding the destruction of the Revolutionary Army. This wasn't right. This wasn't what he wanted! Yes, he did want to defend his people. But all of this violence was too much for him!

But he kept moving. A puppet on strings, each movement and command created on his own just from a some words from Honest! The man's voice echoed through his head over and over and over and over again and again and again and again and again! It just wouldn't stop! It was so tempting! Why did Makoto have to follow them?!

But no matter how hard he would fight, he always ended up giving in.

He soon noticed something coming straight for him.

 **PXA**

Esdeath ran around the halls of the palace, swiftly making her way to her room. With all of the chaos spreading, she partially feared that Minato's body was in danger. Despite being away from all of the chaos, destruction had made its way into the capital.

There was a chance that people had also infiltrated the palace as many hated people resided within the walls for safety. She wouldn't be surprised if she ran into any of the assassins of Night Raid if that were the case.

Grabbing the knob of her door, she ripped open the wooden barrier. "Minato!" She exclaimed, looking at her bed.

But nothing laid on the mattress.

Stepping inside swiftly, she found herself panicking a bit at no sight of the body. "Where is he?!" She asked herself furiously, not really having any time for searching. Scratching her head, she looked at the bed once more. Glancing away, her eyes snapped back when she noticed one detail.

Minato's book was gone.

 **PXA**

Makoto looked through the eyes of Shikoutazer and saw him.

Minato stood on two tarot cards as they provided him support and had him float in the air. His arms were folded as he watched the giant Teigu staring back at him. The man remained unmoving as his gaze was fixed on the object that caused so much destruction. He compared his own size to Shikoutazer and was impressed with how such a Teigu of size could be made.

"Makoto… I know you can hear me." Minato unfolded his arms, having they dangle at his sides.

"Your majesty, crush that insignificant man! He's a threat to the Empire!" Honest shouted, his voice being heard by the blue-haired man and the young boy.

But Minato didn't react at all to the insult. He instead closed his eyes.

Makoto meanwhile had commanded Shikoutazer to attack without his consent. Each movement was made by the boy but he didn't want to call them his own. Each move was not his. It was something that Honest had administered to him.

He watched the giant swing at him but then ducked under the large arm. He slightly frowned at how Makoto was acting. "You can." His voice was at a normal volume, but somehow it was as if it were amplified since Makoto could hear him. "Since you are responsive to Honest's voice, I know you will be able to listen." He stood on his cards, right in front of the face of Shikoutazer. "So listen well."

But before Minato could open his mouth, Honest had a faster tongue. From behind, the man called out his insturctions. "Supreme Teigu! Activate your secret weapon, purge mode!"

Minato backed up as his eyes narrowed as the body of the massive giant began to mutate, like a freak of nature. On the outside, it no longer looks like a dignified weapon or emperor. Now, it just looked like a monster. An abomination everyone would fear. The pads of armor on the shoulder and knees were now eyes, looking all around for something to set its sights upon and always changed each second to another target. Armor turned into bone and flesh. Its divine cloak now stained and ripped.

Makoto meanwhile felt something crawl up from behind. Looking back, he wanted to scream in terror. He didn't know what it was, but he felt it grab his body. It worked its way around his body. Makoto cried but nothing left his mouth, only silence was the language he could speak as he desperately fought the internal battle to regain his body so he could shake the monsters off.

But then he was eventually consumed by it. The entity had taken a hold of his body, a new force he had to fight. Suspended inside his Teigu with his mind at work and body functioning on its own, Makoto wept.

Shikoutazer's hand slammed onto the ground. Multiple shots soon flew out from behind the body. Minato gritted his teeth as he gestured his hands outwards, causing cards to fly out of his book and form above the capital. He silently cursed as he couldn't stop most of the shots as his cards were fewer than the bombardment.

From his view, Minato could see the destruction. Buildings were struck and debris began to fall. So many people ran for their lives, trying to escape the chaos. It didn't matter if they were part of the Revolutionary Army or Imperial soldiers though, each of them were hurt in some regard. Fires broke out as so many lives were taken within seconds.

Honest, who was still standing on the balcony, laughed madly however. Once more, the glee of seeing such chaos was so humorous to him. "Yes! How do you like this power, you majesty?! The power to bring a new light that will shine over the masses and bless our thousand-year empire?! It is such beautiful art from this distance! Next will be Minato! If so, then no one will be there to threaten your rule!"

Minato looked towards Shikoutazer, knowing what who was behind the Teigu. He could go up and kill Honest right now and end this entire war if he wanted to. But he didn't. That task was meant for someone else. Minato didn't show it, but he felt frustrated. He wanted to do so much more, but he was limited. "Go ahead then… kill me."

His body felt weak when those words were heard, and Makoto just managed to have the strength to regain control. Looking up, he lost the power and was pulled back from the wheel. But the body just stared at Minato who stood right at the perfect distance to be fully seen but close enough for his voice to be clear that he was accepting what could possibly happen.

Minato widened his arms, as if welcoming such a gesture. His features were frowning. "But before you do kill me, listen." Minato managed to regain his composure by taking in a deep breath. He was surprised by the emotion in his voice. He never knew he was like that. Bringing a hand up, he cupped it over his ear. "All of those people that you said you would protect and be a good emperor for, that you would lead to create an era which everyone will love… Can you hear them scream and cry?"

Makoto, one of Minato's audience members, was influenced to do so as he looked and saw the burning flames that scorched the capital he lived in. He knew what this kind of fire was. It was not for warmth. It burned with hatred and destruction.

"You think this is what a good emperor would do?" Minato continued on, commanding the tarot cards to form a circle under him. He soon began to pace around, as if he were a teacher and in front of him was a student. "Well you are no emperor. Right now, you are just a monster. An abomination that lives on greed, and lust, and every sin that mankind would offer. A destroyer that has ruined so many lives that have been filled with love but now loss, birth but now death, and joy which has been turned into sorrow." He stopped his pacing, pointing at Shikoutazer. "What kind of an ruler would do this to his own subjects? What kind of person would do this? What kind of person are you?"

"…" Inside, Makoto listened. His body remained frozen since it was told to listen. Minato's words, what he said… he was sort of right. Right now, he was a monster, an abomination, a destroyer. But he wasn't that. He was just a child who had been forced into the role of a ruler.

Makoto felt the power to obtain his body again and did. He felt himself spread through the flesh and blood that belonged to him. But he had to constantly fight. "I do doubt the people will forgive me for what happened… If I had the ability to go back and change many things, I would… But that won't stop me from trying right now!"

The force that once controlled his body though threatened to take back what it had once owned. A voice began to tell him what to do. Stop fighting against this new power. For him to let go and allow Honest's voice to be his guide. Just stop and let it happen.

"Shut up… Shut up. Shut up!" Makoto screamed, banging his head against the glass sphere where he floated. "I refuse! Why should I stop fighting?! Why should I let go!? Why should I listen to the man who has tricked me, deceived me, poisoned me, killed my family?! Why should I stop when I can do so much more?! So! Much! More!" Beating his fist against the glass, he eventually rested. "But this is what I get. I did my best… and this is my reward… it's not fair! It's just not fair!"

Panting, Makoto began to glare up. His head pulsed so badly and it felt like it was going to explode. But he only grit his teeth as he bared through the pain. "No… it's not over…" He breathed, as if realizing something. "I am not a good emperor… I will never be able to be an emperor… But I can still do what I can to make this land a better place!"

With resolve firm inside, Makoto looked up. He knew how to control Shikoutazer, and he was just going to do that. Focusing, he charged the massive Teigu for one final attack. Many hidden channels opened up around the creation and Makoto fired upwards.

Watching the shots rise, he closed his eyes in preparation as Shikoutazer just stood in place. Ignoring the protests of Honest, who's control Makoto was long gone from, the young boy got ready for impact. While he could have aimed for Honest, he had a feeling the fat man would somehow survive and run away. Where the bastard would run to however Makoto knew where he would.

Feeling a volley of projectiles band against the Teigu, Makoto winced and screamed. But then he knew that he did the right thing. No one should have this kind of access to a Teigu like the one he was in at the moment. He had to destroy Shikoutazer. The rain of pain fell upon him, each hit inflicting massive damage. Chunks of the construct fell off as if ripped by pure force, which they kind of were.

Soon, it was no longer standing. Makoto had fallen with the creation. The glass prison which contained him shattered as well, allowing him to be free. He reached a hand forward and crawled out of the Teigu.

As soon as he got outside, he heard it. He heard the massive cries of cheers. He couldn't tell if it was the Imperials, the rebels, or even the citizens. But to hear such happiness from his actions… it made him smile tiredly. But it was a short-lived happiness though.

Looking up, he saw Minato slowly descending towards him. Not surprising that the man would be concerned for his well being. Makoto was still a child after all. Getting back up to his feet, he began to wave with a smile to signal that he was okay. Watching the young man stop in place, the two of them stared at one another. "Minato… thank you for everything." Makoto said.

Honestly, he wasn't sure if Minato could hear him or not. That uncertainty was wiped away though when he saw the blue-haired male nod towards him in acknowledgement.

There was suddenly something that grew out of the corners of their eyes as they both turned. In their sights, massive mountains of ice were seen that had grown out of thin air. Normally, this was something unnatural. But with a certain person within the capital, it was obvious who it was.

Makoto watched as Minato looked at him with a bit of hesitation. Really, it was interesting to see a bit of emotion and thought flash across the blue-haired male's face from time to time. It gave Minato a bit more character. With a small, reassuring smile, Makoto nodded his head in the direction of the ice. He soon watched the young man floating on the cards begin to make his way though the air to what could have been a battlefield.

Makoto soon turned around and began to run back to the palace.

There was still one more thing he had to do.

 **PXA**

Esdeath pretty much had no clue where Minato was as soon as she discovered that he had gone missing. How did he even escape the ice shell in the first place.

But that easily changed when the loud sounds of explosions and destruction gained her attention. Turning her head around, she saw the giant Teigu and was impressed with its power as well as strength. But then her eyes widened a bit with surprise when she saw her brother floating right in front of Shikoutazer.

She didn't know if she was going to try and fight the emperor or not. There was one thing Esdeath knew however, there was a chance that Minato would strain his body and kill himself faster in the process.

Without any other thoughts, she dashed right out of her room. Running through the halls and out of the palace, she leapt high into the air. But it wasn't enough to get to where Minato was. Creating a two blocks made of ice around her feet, she soared upwards towards her brother. Near the wall, she traveled as she was almost to the top and above.

But in the middle of the trip though, before she could call out his name or even get close enough for him to hear her, Esdeath saw something come at her fast out of the corner of her eye.

Raising her unequipped arm and covering it with ice, she blocked Murasame's blade that Akame tried to use and kill the blue-haired General. "Esdeath! You will die here and now!" The black-haired female claimed, putting pressure on the ice armor.

Esdeath scowled as this was a complete waste of her time in her opinion. There was the option between a fight or stopping her brother from overworking his body. Deciding to fight, she had to make it extremely quick and not enjoy herself before getting to Minato. "Out of my way, you insolent fool!" She exclaimed. "I've already seen through the extent of your power and speed! You're not match for me!"

But then her eyes looked at her covered arm. Hearing a crack, she noticed several lines forming along the transparent armor. With surprise due to the strength being able to break it, Esdeath leaped back to avoid being cut by the deadly blade. How Akame was much more power than before was a thought that would be discarded.

Expecting Akame to charge at her, Esdeath was surprised once more as the speed the assassin produced as the katana-user was right in front of the General. Seeing her mid-section about to be slashed, Esdeath brought her rapier down to block the slash.

But the onslaught just kept on going. Every move Esdeath made to retreat Akame was right after her, not giving a second to breath. Every step left an footprint of pressure against the rock and also destroyed stone pylons as their fight almost seemed one-sided at the moment. Movement was matched with footwork and sword play. Each attack had to be perfectly defended or countered. One wrong move for any of them and it would be death.

But then Esdeath was still stronger. With the attacks constantly coming, she managed to pick off small cuts and stabs. All over the visible skin, Akame was bleeding but then it didn't stop her. With a roar of strength, the assassin tried an overhead slash but then failed to land it due to the katana being blocked.

Pushing off, Esdeath scowled while adjusting her cap. This was taking a lot more time than she had expected. Either the younger girl went through intense training or was enhanced by something. Rushing forward, Esdeath and Akame began to clash once more. Their blades went up against one another, an argument made of steel forming with sparks flying.

With a stab, Esdeath was so close but then Akame dodged just in the nick of time. Once more, their deadly dance commenced as they began to destroy the floor around them as debris flew up only to be shattered and hit away from the action. Only blurs could be seen with their weapon movement as both were heavily concentrated to kill one another.

With an unexpected tackle with blade both defending and attacking though, Akame brought Esdeath off the wall and into a more secluded area where a few buildings were in ruin. Despite the landing, both were on their feet and standing in front of one another good distance apart. Esdeath seemed hardly tired while Akame was panting hard.

"Finished already?" Esdeath asked, pointing her rapier right at the assassin. "Good, because my patience is starting to run thin."

"No… I'm not done yet." Akame breathed, raising her blade with a murderous look. "I'll see you dead here and now!"

Flipping her grip on her weapon, Akame immediately stabbed herself with Murasame. Esdeath looked surprise, but then Akame needed to stunned time to prepare herself. Gritting her teeth, the assassing did her best not to let out any sound of pain. Her scleras turned black with dark marking appearing around the pupils and a dark aura enveloped her body. Red markings meanwhile took over her skin, decorating her visible body at the same time.

It took a few seconds for Esdeath, but then she realized what was happening. "Murasame's trump card…" She gritted her teeth. She was already wasting enough time as it was.

Lunging forward, Akame was even more faster now. Within that moment Esdeath easily concluded that pretty much all of the girl's abilities were enhanced. Slamming her hand on the ground, ice erupted right out of the dirt. The ice managed to trap the enhanced Akame, but then it began to crack only after a second.

Breaking out of the ice, the girl continued to fall towards the woman. Esdeath spun out of the way while still keeping her hand against the ground. A tree made of ice began to grow and she was right on top. Icicles began to shoot out like gunfire all around its radius. Dodging, ducking, dipping, diving, Akame did her best to avoid each and every deadly bit of ice.

Slashing upwards, several sharp pieces of ice were knocked into the air. Knocking them towards Esdeath, the General was a bit surprised as she lost concentration since she was forced to move off of the tree. As she landed on the ground, Akame was over her. Stabbing towards the ground, Akame only got the dirt as Esdeath rolled out of the way.

"Out of my way!" Esdeath shouted as she formed a giant column with spikes on it. With the position being horizontal, she commanded the giant construct to spin at a rapid pace since Akame was right under it.

The assassin grabbed onto one of the spikes, being pulled upwards as it began to rotate. Releasing her grip when she was on top, Akame began to swiftly yet carefully make her way around the spinning points to reach Esdeath once more. The column suddenly stopped and Akame had a better time getting to her enemy.

But then the General was suddenly above and was about to stomp the top of Akame's head with her heel. Akame got out of the way fast enough though as the ice creation broke right in half.

With determination and speed, Akame spun around and countered by cutting Esdeath's hand off.

It was a very shocking moment for the General as the attack had managed to land despite being on her guard. Esdeath could already feel the poison spreading within her. But then she thought quickly. "Mahapadma!"

Her entire world went frozen immediately with the water particles around them not moving. Looking down at her severed limb, a bitter look came across her face. Before the poison from Murasame could spread any more, she tore off the elbow part of her arm and severed the area where the poison began.

Freezing her cut arm to created a new limb and a sword made of ice, she swung around and managed to slash Akame just on her leg. Esdeath growled in frustration, being torn between this fight and Minato. Quickly eyeing the sky, she saw that the giant Teigu was no longer standing and Minato was gone.

Despite the crippling attack, Akame still managed to move fast enough and get right behind Esdeath. Looking behind due to sensing the presence, the General just managed to block Murasame with her ice arm.

Raw strength was behind the attack once more despite the swift speed as Esdeath was knocked backwards. Planting her foot on the ground and skidding, she leapt into the air to avoid an incoming attack. Stomping on Akame's back, the heel of her booth stabbed into the flesh.

Now chasing after Akame, Esdeath was on the offensive but then Akame began to hack and slash the ice-sword down. Completely destroying the ice, she backed off and lowered her blade to block a massive, pointed ice pillar that came from the ground. Watching from the air, Akame could only see Esdeath form several big blocks of ice and launch them towards her.

Esdeath thought she had Akame dealt with. But then the assassin proved to be strong as she leapt from block to block all the way down. With a powerful slam to the ground, Akame still missed esdeath as the General got away.

"Coming up with emergency treatments on the spot… even when stopping time you attended that injury." Akame spoke, slowly walking closer to her enemy. "You've been called the master of torture. And up to this point, you've scarred and engraved agony into the lives of countless others. So this time, you'll be the one who is tormented."

"I've wasted too much time on you." Esdeath replied back, raising her hand and firing more ice shards at Akame.

Swinging her sword, she batted away each piece of ice that was coming her way. But then her vision was blocked, allowing Esdeath to come in from behind and kick Akame's back. The assassin recovered fast though as she turned around and the intense fight began once more.

As their clashing generated so many sparks, Esdeath raised her hand once again and more ice shards began to fall as they were the only things Akame could see in the sky. Looking around and seeing how their fight had led them to some ruined buildings, the assassin placed her feet against one of the walls and began to leapt from surface to surface in hope of confusing the General.

Watching with a careful eye, Esdeath kept track of the movement. As soon as she saw the attack coming for her, she place up a wall of ice to block the katana's slash. But the defence was poor as it was broken within seconds. Stepping to the side, her large rapier furiously attacked the black-haired girl.

But Akame defended herself with equality. Their furious battle was a stalemate for several seconds. They met in a deadlock soon after. Pushing against one another for dominance, both of them pushed upwards and sent their blades soaring into the air.

Both combatants jumped backwards. Esdeath leapt up as well as Akame. Both them extended their hands to reach for their blades. Akame was slightly faster however as she grabbed Murasame. The only problem was that her blade was much higher than the rapier.

Esdeath smirked with confidence when she saw the distance the assassin traveled. But then she felt something pierce her body. Looking down, her rapier had been lodged inside her stomach just maybe missing the vitals. It was still a terrible wound either way though.

Looking up, Akame was in a position that showed she had made a slash. Esdeath then figured out what Akame did. The black-haired girl had grabbed Murasame and hit the rapier to pierce Esdeath. With the impact of the item inside her body, the General careened to the ground and landed hard.

Looking up, she saw Akame heading straight for her.

Several cards immediately clouded her vision as they blocked Akame's killing blow.

 **PXA**

Honest furiously ran from the scene in an special hall inside of the palace.

"I can't believe it…" He panted as he kept on running down the stony passage. The fat man was all alone as his feet echoed in the space. Saliva kept escaping his lips and snot dribbled out of his nose. "The supreme Teigu beaten… by words alone?! I've got to go. I've got to escape through the secret passageways."

Running up to what appeared to be a dead end, he did not lose his cool. Instead, the adult put his hand out and touched a certain stone block. With a bit of force into his arm, he pushed the stone backwards and the wall began to move to the side. Behind the wall was a new hallway that led to only somewhere he knew.

Running right through the passage, he continued to run. But then he heard something. Cupping a hand over his ear to listen better, he frowned. "Hmph." He scoffed while still on the move, many sounds coming from outside which meant he was near the edges of the palace. "Those rebel scum are all pouring in now… But you're all too late!" But then a thought struck him. "But they still might find me… shit! If only I still Shambhala, I'd be able to escape easier. I can't believe that it got broken!"

Continuously grumbling to himself, he didn't notice a presence behind him. Well, he couldn't have noticed it really. The being concealed their body and knowledge that they were there in the first place. As the figure was behind Honest, they dashed forward with a tremendous amount of speed and kicked the fat man right on the back.

Feeling a strong impact from behind, the adult careened down the hall and rolled on the floor while screaming in pain. Stopping as he coughed up blood, he looked back at who had struck him. "What the…" He gritted out slowly craning his head to the side. His eyes widened in shock though as she saw someone who he thought was dead. "You!"

Standing and the one who struck him was Leone. But there was something different about her entire being. Her black clothing was now replaced with animal fur and skin, looking like it was all a natural part of her body. Her original black shorts were now the color of white with bits of fur wrapping around her legs. Connect to her skin was more animal hair, covering her breasts just enough so that they showed about the same amount of cleavage that her top did. Her arms as well, covered by the warmth that animals knew and kept on while a tail waved side to side behind her.

"How are you still alive?!" Honest exclaimed, pointing at her shakily while still on the ground. "It's impossible!"

Looking down at her hand, she had a thoughtful look as she traced her body with long fingernails. "…To think… I'd end up fusing with the Danger Beast as well… Even I was completely caught off guard. But thanks to that I was able to borrow a bit more time…" She glared at Honest as she walked closer.

Honest growled as he slowly began to reach for his pistol. He was too much in a hurry to had noticed her when he was running. He was at his wit's end at the moment considering how deadly and severe the attack was. But as he brought up the gun, something expected happened.

It was a sound… the sound of a furious cry. Both Leone and Honest had to admit, they were surprised to hear such a noise. Not because of it being a shout… but because it sounded like it belonged to a small boy.

Charging forward without any hesitation, Makoto stabbed Honest right through the chest with a knife.

Leone was certainly surprised to see the young boy doing such a thing that it left her stunned. Honest however felt the blade stab a very vital area to his body. "You damn brat!" Honest roared, pointing his gun over to Makoto and shooting the boy in the shoulder.

The child recoiled at the impact, but then fell forward with fury as he stabbed Honest once more. "Shut! Up!" Blood sprayed out of the wound and splattered all over Makoto. But he didn't care. With each angry pant, he stabbed Honest over and over again. "You are disgusting, you piece of wretched filth!" He didn't care if he was getting dirty. There was too much blood shed within this era. But this this kind, he hoped that it would stop it all.

The Prime Minister however kept shooting. But then there were only so many bullets left in his gun. A total of four shots were put inside Makoto. But then it didn't stop the boy. Yes, it slowed down the young emperor. But did not stop him.

Makoto felt himself weakening with every second of movement. But he kept on stabbing. "Not enough. It's not enough!" He stabbed again. "You killed my father! You killed my mother! You drugged me and forced me to kill my people! This pain is nothing compared to what we all felt and feel! Die! Die! Die!"

Blood flowed out of the hole in his body. His shoulder, stomach, and two legs spewed blood. With a final stab, Makoto planted the knife into Honest's throat. The fat man was long dead, losing his life in the middle of Makoto's fury. Makoto's hand was still wrapped the handle of the knife as he was quiet soon afterwards. "I… I did it… I… killed… that bastard…"

Leone still stared, honestly surprised that who she suspected to be the emperor was attacking and even killed the Prime Minster. She was just stunned as blood sprayed everywhere, so violently. The floor around the two figures was drenched in the crimson liquid. The blonde was not sure what to think about a child even killing like that.

Walking over slowly at the two still figures, she already knew that Honest was dead. But then Makoto was a different however. Bending her knees, she peeked under and looked at his shadowed face. She frowned.

Makoto had his eyes closed and wasn't breathing.

Reaching her hands out at a sluggish pace, she gently grabbed Makoto's back and shoulders and set him back carefully. "…" She sighed, almost admiring what the young emperor did. Shifting the arm against his back to his legs, she began to carry him bridal style. Looking down the way that Makoto came from, she began to walk down the way.

It didn't take long. She eventually made it to the end. Wincing at bit, it was due to a sudden bright light. Soon enough, she was outside. She was on a balcony that looked down at the entrance to the palace. Meeting her sight were many soldiers of the Revolutionary Army. The party she was fighting for was storming the palace already.

Jumping down, she landed right in front of the group. "L-leone!" One of the soldiers said, recognizing the Night Raid assassin. They then noticed the corpse of Makoto. "Who… is that? Wait, don't tell me. Is that the emperor?! You killed him?!"

Leone shook her head. "No… Honest killed him… But, he killed Honest in the process. The emperor gave his life up for us. He really finished this war… the reason why we fought is destroyed thanks to his sacrifice…"

Setting the boy down gently, Leone saw all of the soldiers all gathering around the body. All of them were silent, wondering what they should do next. Each of them looked around, uncertain of what should come next. The corpse in front of them almost seemed peaceful, as if only asleep. But their slumber would never end.

Soon, one took off their helmet and placed it against their chest. Their head nodded down solemnly, as if mourning. One by one, everyone else began to do the same. Gathered around the young emperor, each of them paid respects. Silent cries of thank you filled the air for Makoto's sacrifice. Their were spoken through their actions. All could agree that he was not that good of an emperor. But he was a good person.

Leone couldn't stay long though as she left, knowing that Akame would need help fighting Esdeath.

 **PXA**

"Brother…" Esdeath breathed as she saw Minato descend from the sky.

Stepping off the cards, Minato calmly walked between her and Akame as the assassin was at a distance. Cards soon began to soar around the General, surrounding the blue-haired female. Esdeath saw this and frowned. Curiously, she tried to get up and walk forward. But then she felt a force block her path. Tapping her finger against the blank area, she concluded that the cards were forming some kind of barrier that was preventing her from coming out.

"…Release me now, Brother." Esdeath commanded, ripping her rapier out of her stomach and freezing the wound. But Minato did not listen, not releasing his command on the card barrier. "Didn't you hear me?! I said release me!"

Minato however just turned around to stare at his sister. His eyes were slightly defiant to her words, already making a choice. Turning back, he looked at Akame. "You've won – it's over. You managed to win the war. But it's come at a price." He spoke neutrally, opening his arms in small gestures to make his point. "Friends, comrades, many people of society. You can stop now – you know that yourself. But you think that the only way to truly win is to kill my sister – end her life – and you may be right."

Akame narrowed her eyes, suspicious at Minato's words. It was easily known that the two siblings cared for each other. There had to be a reason why Minato spoke like that. "Then why are you stopping me?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He asked back. "I can't just let her be killed. She is my sister, a family member who is still a very kind person and I do not think I can live without her." He soon shook his head. "I don't expect you to agree with me." Knowing how most of his cards were creating a barrier that kept Esdeath safe, he had only one left. But that was all that he needed.

The card that was by his side hovered right next to his hand. Instead of the border being blue around the picture, it was instead gold with the symbol XXI at the bottom. It was the image of a giant disk with a unique design. Spirals circled the center of a large, white, transparent shield at the center of the card. It was almost as if they were stars. Many orbs of light floated around as well, like planets orbiting around it.

The Universe arcana was all he was equipped with.

"We are not the villains in this story." Minato continued on, placing his head to his chest. "I do what I do because it is who I am. Who I am is where I stand. Where I stand is where I fall."

"…Minato… you are an optional target, only to kill when you come to the aid of General Esdeath." Akame stated. "You can still have the opportunity to live if you walk away. Leave us. You know the deeds and actions of your sister."

"She's right, Brother." Esdeath stood up, her hand right against the barrier the cards created. "You know why I wanted you to stay out of this. You know why I froze you solid. Yet here you stand, knowing you could die from this fight just protecting me. When you do, my life will no longer be protected." She soon shook her head. "Please… I'm begging you… Stay out of this."

"We're all going to die someday, Sister." Minato closed his eyes, turning his head slightly so that he stared at Esdeath. "How will that be? Have you ever thought of that? You think that it will be in battle. But will it really? Is that you are willing to die for? I don't think it is." He slowly looked back at Akame. "But both you and I think I've spoken long enough. So come then… kill me if you can. I'll maybe cripple you at best if you don't stop right now."

Akame was silent, settling for staring at Minato as he lifted one of his hands and the Universe arcana responded. It only floated in the air and was still, almost like it represented a blade.

Without another word, Akame rushed forward towards her blue-haired opponent. Minato ran towards his black-haired opponent. Akame raised Murasame while Minato had the Universe up. When close to one another, both slashed and their weapons collided and went past one another. Minato quickly followed up thought as he struck with his left hand. Akame backed up, lifting up her left elbow to defend as she began to retreat back.

She didn't make it a step though as Minato swung his right hand and the card followed, forcing Akame to block the card. Her balance was shifted as she tripped a bit at the assault and she was forced to roll on the ground backwards, out of the way of Minato's incoming cleaving strike. Shattered, blue glass seemed to follow the attack and make it extremely flashy and maybe deadly.

Getting on three of her four limbs, Akame looked up in time to avoid a slash to her downed form. Getting back up in time, she soon saw a flurry of shards follow behind the card as she ducked under the swinging object as Minato spun around with his hands out. Stepping forward, Minato kept Akame near the ground as he swung the card down towards the girl which she blocked in return.

Akame tried to get Minato away from her by swinging her Teigu, but then Minato blocked and swung towards her. The exchange proceeded like that, almost no power between each attack. They just wanted one another to just be driven down or away for victory or a chance to win. Showing Minato away, Akame tried to slash his chest.

Minato however recovered just in time and slammed his arm right against the side of Akame's stomach. The assassin felt herself land against a wall. She quickly pushed off the flat surface as Minato's incoming card shattered the stone structure with the shards following and caused it to turn into nothing more than rubble. Despite Akame dodging to successfully, she leapt back again and winced when the card and glass dragged themselves along her skin.

Panting, she looked down to her equipped hand and saw that a large cut was made between her wrist and elbow. Blood splattered around her hand and almost half of the limb. Both stood across one another, panting a bit as Minato spat out a bit of blood.

Akame took that opportunity to rush forward again and hold her weapon horizontally as Minato's cleave was blocked. Lowering her body for the card to go down as well, Minato lifted his weapon and Akame followed up as she pushed upwards. Stepping towards one another, their bodies passed each other right after as they spun around with similar attacks. Akame was quick though, attacking his head soon after.

Minato lifted his card to protect himself from the deadly blade though as the impact was made against his head, but the actual metal did not connect with his skin. Furiously moving his hands, Akame moved her blade in response as the card soared around with Akame's swordplay. Thrusting forward, Akame missed as Minato moved his head in time. Ducking under, he grabbed tried to grab her shirt but then Akame's hand snatched out to stop him and they wrestled around a bit.

Pushing away from each other, Akame and Minato got back at it again. But the assassin left an opening and the blue-haired male kicked her right in the stomach for it. Skidding on her feet across the ground, her back slammed against the back of another wall. Raising her blade to block the card, Akame was successful as she heard the card band against the metal.

Minato's hand shot out towards her though and grabbed her by the face. Rearing his hand back, Minato slammed the back of Akame's head on the wall. Once more, he bashed her skull on the stone. Trying it a third time, Akame ripped her face out of his grip and ducked under the hand. Knocking Minato away with her blade while he defended, she felt the card soon move around and hit her right hip.

Managing to get away from the wall, she began to stumble backwards as Minato's assault was proving to be challenging even in her trump card form. Minato soon buried a fist into Akame's stomach as she reeled back at the impact. But then the girl spun around and kicked her own stomach for revenge while tripped backwards against another wall.

By having Akame hold her sword up against his incoming card, Minato had her locked in place once more as he raised a fist. Akame managed to lean out of the way as his fist went right through the rock. Seeing him rear his fist again, she didn't and watch the fist destroy the stone. A third time it happened, but then Minato ripped his arm out of a violent fashion that dust and debris would shower Akame's face as she fell backwards to the ground to avoid the hazardous bits.

Rolling back, Akame sprung up to her feet and avoided the card spinning and the glass trail it provided. She tried to slash Minato's face a few times, but then he avoided every single one before he tripped and spat out a bit more blood. But he recovered as if it were nothing and grabbed Akame by the neck.

Footwork began to be a major part in the fight as they started to kick one another. Their feet lashed out in a violent dance. Minato soon stopped the leg attacks as he brought Akame up and slammed her onto the ground. Grabbing her hand and blade handle at the same time, he didn't expect Akame to run in a circle in place quickly to get back up and wrestle his grip off.

Following up with the momentum, Akame began to spin around and attack Minato. But then she was immediately dragged out from below as Minato grabbed her ankle and yanked it. As Minato kept his grip on her leg, he began to make wild gestures with his hand as the card went where it was commanded. Akame meanwhile was on the ground, knocking the card away every time while trying to look for a way out of her predicament.

Dragging the assassin along the ground, Minato was about to attack her. Akame fortunately thought quickly as she pressed her fingers on the ground and used them to make her spin around and out of Minato's grip once more. Getting back on both feet she tried to slash Minato.

The male proved to be agile through as he leapt right past her. With a motion of his arm, the Universe card slashed Akame's back. Not giving her any time to recover, he grabbed the girl by the back of her collar. Lifting her up, Minato began to bite into her neck. Hearing her scream in pain, Minato managed to rip into the flesh as he tore a bit off when rearing his head back. Falling onto his back, he pulled Akame as well so that she would be over him and in the air. With a powerful kick upwards while on the ground, Minato sent the assassin careening towards a pile of rubble.

Minato sighed and coughed. Covering his mouth during the moment, he looked at his palm and frowned at the mount of blood. But then he began to hear footsteps nearby. Rearing his head in the direction, he had to look up and see a long balcony.

Walking along the long pathway was Najenda staring back at him. A lit cigarette was in her mouth as both of them stared at one another. "Najenda…" Minato stated, standing neutrally as if nothing were wrong. "Long time no see. Are you here to help your comrade in killing my sister and I?"

"You were just an optional target, Minato." Najenda spoke, hands calmly at her side as well like him. She inhaled deeply before exhaling a long stream of smoke. "It was easy to know that you would interfere when you saw Esdeath's life in danger. I do admit… I'm not sure what it will take to stop you. But natural causes seem to be doing that to you already." She narrowed her eyes down towards the hand covered in the blood that he coughed up.

"Well then… let's see what you've got for me." Running towards the female, Minato leapt up and high towards the balcony where Najenda stood. His card came into contact with her metal arm as he swung around but it was blocked as well. As they got ready to right, Najenda spat her cigarette out and that was an unsaid signal to start.

Punching with her metal arm, Najenda's attack was avoided but then she swung it around to avoid exposing any openings. Minato swung his card in retaliation, both weapons of choice rebounding off one another. The blue-haired male had made advances though, grabbing onto Najenda's throat with his spare hand.

Walking forward while choking her, Minato eventually spun around as Najenda tried to throw a wide fist in his direction. The result ended being the female slamming herself against the wall before raising her arm up to stop the Universe card from taking out her throat. Hopping back to dodge the weapon cutting her stomach, she tried to punch Minato. But the arcana was quick to defense as it appeared right in front of Minato and blocked the fist.

As Minato tried to counter though, Najenda narrowly avoided the attack and landed a solid blow against Minato's stomach. Knocked back, Minato found himself slightly off of his feet and leaning against the railing of the balcony, coughing crimson.

"This is where we part ways." Najenda lowered her form to get ready for a finishing blow. "Goodbye, Minato."

"Not yet." Minato breathed out, lowering himself into a stance as well. "Now's not the time for farewells."

Both charged for each other. Minato ducked under the fist while slicing Najenda's stomach. Hearing her gasp at the wound, he turned around. Watching Najenda get up as well, Minato grabbed her throat with one hand and commanded the card to attack her with the other. But then Najenda raised her metal arm to stop the Universe arcana as she was being pushed against the balcony. She tried to fight back, but Minato's strength was proving to be very strong despite him dying.

"Miiinaaatooo!"

Hearing his name being called, Minato had his attention turned over towards the roofs of the building that was across the one he was standing in. Not a second passed as a pair of lion feet nailed him in the face and knocked him away from Najenda. Leone landed on the floor soon after, all ready to help her Night Raid comrades.

Watching Najenda trying to attack him just as he recovered, he grabbed her metal fist. His foot soon lashed out like a mustang when he saw Leone try to lunge for him. Turning his attention back to the leader of Night Raid, Minato kicked the side of Najenda's head and knocked her down onto the streets.

Leone meanwhile got back up and swung her fist right against Minato's face. "Lay off my boss!" She exclaimed, ducking under a card swipe and shards that followed. Leaping back while holding her hands up, she dodged a vertical attack with more glass following next.

Minato slowly walked forward, carefully watching Leone as she did the same. Because of that, he noticed something that made him frown. "What happened to you?" He asked, lashing his hand out in an attempt to grab her.

Leone however grabbed his hand in return and slammed a fist against the arm. "Fused with my Teigu." She explained briefly before cocking a fist back and punching Minato directly in the stomach. "Come on! Aren't you even trying to fight!" She goaded, landing a few more fists on the exact area before backing up.

"And that wound on your stomach…" Minato observed, making the card try and slash Leone. But the blonde slipped by. He couldn't see her prepare another fist and land a heavy blow against his back. "You've been shot."

Leone leapt up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yeah, so what about it? Think that'll stop me?!" She asked, strangling him. Her arms pressed against his neck, attempting to cut off his ability to breath.

But it didn't last long though as Minato slammed a fist against her leg. Feeling her strength weaken, he grabbed her arms and threw the blonde over his shoulder. "Your body is as cold as ice." He commented, grabbing her by the neck and pulling her up. Tossing her into the air and off the balcony, he followed. Placing a foot against her chest and the other on one of her legs, the two of them fell as he used Leone to break his landing. "Don't involve yourself any longer in this fight."

Sighing, Minato shook his head as he began feeling a bit dizzy. Looking down at his hands, he could even see them trembling a bit as he tried to stay strong.

The sound of rocks shattering brought him back to reality as he turned around to see Akame back up and hunched over. Her gaze slowly went up, eyes even more narrower than before as she zeroed in on Minato. The two didn't even have to say anything as they began to rush at each other once more.

Coming up from the alleyways however was the fourth member of Night Raid as he got between Minato and Akame before they could even fight. "You get away from her!" Tatsumi exclaimed, spinning his spear around as he began to stab and swing the weapon. Minato however was on the defense, dodging and blocking every blow meant for his body.

Trying to stab Minato, Tatsumi's spear was blocked as soon pointed upwards. With the opening, Minato grabbed Tatsumi's throat and began to push forward. A few steps later, he shoved Tatsumi away and the armored-brunette tried to swing his weapon but then placed it against his shoulder to prevent the Universe card from piercing his shoulder. Kneeing Tatsumi in the stomach, Minato hopped into the air and kicked the brunette in the same area twice.

Akame rushed up from behind trying to catch Minato off-guard, but he dodged out of the way in time and moved the tarot card back and forth to defend himself against Akame's offense. Managing to push Akame away with a few heavy blows of her blade, Leone came barreling in and tackled Minato from behind. As Minato turned around, Leone nailed his jaw, then forehead, and began throwing punch after punch against his stomach.

Eventually after a couple of seconds, Minato grabbed Leone by the back of her bottom clothing and threw her off to the side. Akame came in quickly as she engaged Minato, but skidded back after defending against a strong blow. Hearing a battle cry, Minato quickly snapped his head around. Bringing his head up, he grabbed an airborne Leone by the leg before using the momentum to help him throw the blonde against her fellow assassin Akame.

Stepping forward for an overhead attack, Akame just managed to get back up in time and blocked the Universe card with Murasame. Tatsumi appeared right next to Akame and began swinging his spear in unpredictable movements to get Minato away from them. Najenda was following up with Tatsumi's attacks as her martial arts proved to be difficult to defend against at the same time.

Minato soon crossed his arms, preparing for two strong attacks coming in. One hand caught Najenda's metal hand. The tarot card blocked Tatsumi's spear. Pushing them both back, Minato began his retaliation as Night Raid's offensive moment turned into defense. Back and forth, Minato kept his fighting even between Tatsumi and Najenda as they couldn't find any openings to counter attack. With a wide swing of the Universe arcana, shards followed, blinded, and knocked both current combatants off of their feet.

Leaping over a rolling Tatsumi, Akame went straight for Minato as Leone ran around to try and flank. As Akame and Minato swung their weapons back and forth against each other, Leone soon tackled Minato's lower body with open arms. She then wrapped her limbs around his waist and refused to let go, attempting to unbalance the male.

While moving around while fighting Leone's strength, Minato swung and knocked Tatsumi back with his card. Pulling on Leone's hair, Minato shoved her against Najenda. Blocking Akame next, Minato turned to see Najenda and began to clash with her. While Akame and Leone ran around trying to find the best time to attack, Tatsumi and Najenda both kept Minato busy and distracted.

As soon as Minato forced Tatsumi and Najenda to back up, Akame was right in his face and swinging her sword with precision and deadly means. Grabbing Akame's arm, Minato flicked his arm backwards but still kept his grip on her. Feeling her arm being throwing in one direction, Akame winced to the sudden force being yanked in the other direction as she was slammed against Najenda.

As the members of Night Raid were all in front of him, he saw Leone coming from behind them with a giant chunk of ice that Esdeath had summoned earlier when fighting against Akame. All other Night Raid members began to charge as they followed Leone's example. With a swing of the Universe arcana, the ice chunk shattered and spread everyone out in a stunned state.

Grabbing Leone by the throat, Minato raised his weapon and blocked Najenda's fist and he shoved Leone to the ground. Dealing with an offensive Tatsumi, he was too distract by the barrage of spear attacks to notice Leone getting back up. With the blonde right in-between his legs, Leone got up on her knees and lifted Minato off of his feet which caused him to fall over in surprise.

Rolling over, Minato raised the Universe arcana to defend himself from Akame and Najenda before getting back up. Grabbing the back of Akame's shirt, Minato threw the girl while knocking Najenda back with his card. But he didn't notice Tatsumi running up from behind and slashing his side as the brunette passed by.

Moving around while hunched over, Minato quickly recovered and he ran forward. Leaping into the air while spinning around, he landed a solid kick against Leone's stomach and it knocked her out cold when she slammed against a wall. Swinging his card against Akame, he grabbed her armed hand when they were locked together and knocked her back with a powerful swing and a trail of blue shards. Ducking under Tatsumi's swings, Minato placed the card right against Tatsumi's stomach and knocked the brunette up with a blue trail following the card. Grabbing the Universe arcana, Minato placed the flat part against Najenda's chest before she was pushed up into the air and slammed back on the ground by the card followed by blue glass.

Minato soon had his cheeks balloon out a bit as he spat out a small fountain of blood. Falling to his knees, he began to cough violently. Gagging, he immediately vomited more of the crimson color that was meant to be inside his body. He heavily panted, feeling like he was losing power.

Looking up, he saw Akame slowly make her way towards him. All he could do was breath and stare as the female assassin walked over. Soon, she was standing over him. Raising his card, he saw the Universe slowly fall instead. He attempted to keep it floating. But it began to flutter to the ground, as if it had been dropped from above the ground.

Minato looked back up to see Akame swing Murasame down at him.

It was at the moment Esdeath was in front of him, Murasame stabbing her right in the center of the chest while her rapier was inside Akame's stomach.

Esdeath glared with anger as she shoved her metal blade further into Akame while stepping forward, trying to drive the assassin as far from her brother as she could. But it was only a single step. Akame however stepped back with Murasame still in hand. Grabbing the rapier, the assassin yanked it out of her body while spitting up blood and kneeling to the ground.

The General meanwhile coughed up blood and fell backward, already feeling the poison of Murasame spreading through her body. Plus, it stabbed her right where the trachea was she suspected. But she was in close enough range for Minato to weakly catch her so she wouldn't fall on the hard ground.

"…Sister-"

"Hush… Brother… Save your strength…" Esdeath breathed, knowing that she was beyond saving. The poison from that Teigu was meant to surely kill its victim. No doubt it would do its work against her. "You must live. Live as long as you can." She gasped, surprised that she was still alive this long. Maybe it just proved how strong she became. "My life will just disappear." Esdeath sighed, looking up. She reached up to the sky as if she could grab it. "Everything I am, gone in a moment like a breath on a mirror. Time comes and goes, stays the same yet changes. all We change as well, when you think about it. We all can be different people throughout our lives and that's okay. You have to keep moving forward so long as you remember all the people that you used to be."

"…Esdeath…" Minato whispered.

"I wonder how I would have turned out without you, Minato. I wonder what kind of I person I could have been." Esdeath grew a slow smile, opening her lips a bit and mouthing something. She saw Minato frown and bend down closer to try and listen better.

Grabbing the back of his head, she kept him close as she pushed their lips together for a kiss.

With her remaining strength, she got to her knees. Esdeath still kept their lips locked as she kept the kiss going for as long as she could. This was one of her parting gifts for her brother before she passed away. She had to pass it on, hoping it could help strengthen her brother and help him live.

Finally, she released the kiss as Minato stared at her with surprised eyes. He was about to open his mouth but then she weakly placed a finger against his lips to keep them closed. "I love you…" She whispered, feeling tears run down her cheeks as she felt herself smile like she never did before. "…I love you so much…"

Minato swallowed as he heard those words. A thin trail of red escaped the corner of his mouth as he watched ice slowly encrust his sister's body. Within seconds, the General's being was inside a huge block of ice. That block shattered almost instantly, leaving many snowflakes in its wake.

He was silent as he watched the bits of white fall. The snow slowly made its way to the ground. Moment by moment, it almost seemed like an eternity when it reality it was only a few seconds. Minato… couldn't believe it. He had to take his time to process it yet it was easily comprehended at the same time. Holding out his hands, he watched as the flakes landed in his hands. They looked so beautiful, but he could only admire them for less than a second before each of them disappeared.

Soon enough, all of the snowflakes were all gone.

Akame breathed, watching everything lay out in front of her. If she had one emotion at the moment, it was relief. If she was honest, she almost forgot about Esdeath and the card barrier that Minato had created. When the card he weaponized fell to the ground, the cage that the male created must have went down at the same time.

As she slowly began to get back up, she heard footsteps approach and saw Minato running right towards her. What shocked her however was the fact that there was a weapon in his hand. A sword… katana to be more specific… made out of ice.

It soon clicked in Akame's mind. That kiss that Esdeath shared with Minato. She gave him her blood… the blood of a her Teigu all at the same time. Before Murasame's poison could affect that transfer, the exchange was swift.

Rage lit up in Minato's mind. Like a white, hot knife it cut into his conscience, threatening to overpower reason, threatening to undo his calmness. But he still kept it at bay yet allowed the waves to crash forward. He could feel the urge to yell, the rage giving him strength, swimming in his veins and saturating every inch of his body. It was the best he could do without going berserk at the death of his sister by Akame.

As her blade banged against Minato's Akame watched the male roll as she tried to slice his body. But Minato proved to be extremely swift as his body got out of the way and back up. Swinging his blade back and forth, each attack was deflected until he ducked down and cut Akame's leg. Watching her buckle down a bit, Minato lifted his ice-katana as the assassin went for an overhead slash while on his knees. Standing back up despite the power of Akame trying to hold him down, he pushed upwards with strength to free his weapon and swing to slash Akame's face.

As Akame spun around, her blade was deflected as Minato hit her back. The both of them stumbled backwards, almost losing their own footing. But that easily changed as they both fell to the ground. Putting their hands on the ground, they began to get back up and limp towards each other.

Strength was found within themselves once against to fight as they rushed at each other. Ducking under a swing, Minato raised his sword and cut Akame's chin before grabbing her hand and pulling past her as she swung. Releasing his grip, Minato dodged another one of Akame's attacks. Bending forward while moving the ice-katana around, Akame made sure to keep him in such a position as she constantly banged the weapon to the ground.

Minato soon escaped that small loop as he simply dropped his weapon and created an exact replica within an instant. Making his way around Akame, She furiously banged her sword against his as Minaot continued to defend himself while still moving. Their movement was wild and near unpredictable as both were fighting with their instincts to win. Slashing Akame's midsection, Minato leapt backwards at the same time to avoid Murasame's contact.

Watching Akame fall to the ground, Minato immediately did as well. Both were on their stomach as they started to get to their feet again. Their bodies ached and they both lost a lot of blood. Pointing their blades at one another, Akame yelled as Minato glared and they both went at each other again.

Akame went to slash Minato's midsection, but he leapt into the air and kept his body horizontal before landing on all fours to avoid the attack. He turned around and immediately tacked Akame as the girl spun around to face Minato. Wrapping his arms around her, Minato felt her slam both her hands and butt of the weapon against his back. Jolting his back up, Minato ended up slamming the back of Murasame against Akame's face.

As she was stunned, Akame was only brought back to reality when Minato cut her face again. Akame grabbed Minato collar in retaliation and banged her forehead against his face. Reeling his head backwards, Minato returned the favor by doing the exact same to her. Cutting her hip, Minato lost his strength in his legs for a second and almost fell.

But he managed to use it to his advantage though. While he fell, he began to spin around and cut Akame's leg. Feeling exhausted, Akame couldn't help but feel the pain course through the limb. Walking backwards slowly, she excaped Minato's spinning attack as they both glanced at each other before the right resumed.

As they both brought their blades back before swinging them, they entered a locked state. Minato pushed back a bit and spun around while using the power in Akame's push to get past her while slashing her back. Watching her stumble forward a bit, he put the blade of the ice-katana in his left hand while keeping his right one out as if he were about to draw his weapon from a sheath.

He waited for Akame to look at him. Minto was ready for what was to come. Both of them were reaching their limits. Their eyes met and he knew that she thought what he was thinking. Watching her sheath her blade, she too entered a stance as she got ready to draw her sword.

Both fighters immediately ran towards each other. Their steps were almost like thunder in their ears. Ignoring all of their surroundings, they ran right forward. Reaching each other, their blades weren't out immediately. After a single step past each other though, they placed hands on the handles. Spinning around, Akame lifted both hands and drew her weapon for an overhead slice. Minato meanwhile stuck near the ground at first, turning around and slashing upwards with his body following.

As soon as their weapons collided, Minato kept his momentum as Murasame broke in half.

Akame was knocked back with surprise by the force that broke her Teigu right in half. Flying through the air, she could only think about how strong Minato was to snap Murasame in half. With a heavy thud, she felt herself fall on the ground and had no more power to get up and fight.

Minato however limped over towards Akame. Step by step, the space between them grew closer and closer as he was soon standing over the fallen assassin. Their eyes met once against as the girl just stared. "Go ahead… kill me if that's what you want." Akame stated, closing her eyes and waited for the piercing blade to penetrate her skin.

But nothing came. Frowning, she opened her eyes to see Minato having his own eyes closed for some reason. But then she saw that there was a hand… a hand covered with a blue glove holding onto Minato shoulder.

Following the hand, she saw a complete stranger who she never saw before ever in her entire life. The person was female with short white hair and yellow eyes. She wore a blue dress that resembled a stewardess' outfit with five black-lined circles outside small yellow circle, blue gloves, a blue attendant-like hat, black leggings and blue knee-length boots. But what really surprised Akame was that in the other hand was the book that Minato usually had on his person.

"Now Minato, deep breaths. That's the best way to calm down, is it not?" The female asked with a bright tone, as if she were talking to someone who was not covered in blood. "Your anger is rather out of your character if I do say so myself."

What seemed like an eternity passed when it couldn't have been more than a few seconds. The volatile emotion inside gradually ceased. The anger ebbed away, gone like the tide. He looked down to his fist. There, the katana made of ice was gripped in his hand. He sighed as he forced himself to open his hand into a palm and allowed the weapon to fall to the ground.

This anger was not him. This hatred was not who he was.

The rush of adrenaline that faded away was like a breath of fresh wind.

Rage subsided and in its place came acceptance. Acceptance at what just happened. Acceptance at his sister's fate. And after acceptance came realization. And with realization came a question.

"Elizabeth…" Minto spoke, allowing the woman behind him to lift her hand off of his shoulder. Not even looking in her direction, he could tell she was giving a curious look. "Can you heal everyone?"

There was a moment of silence. A moment of utter stillness. A moment for this Elizabeth character to think about what to do next.

It was then as if a light show appeared before their eyes. Green sparkles danced in their eyes. Despite the intense ray, it did not blind Akame. The assassin could only marvel at the sight of the shining orbs. But power began to return to her limbs that she though was lost. Her bleedings wounds as well, healing without a scar. Slowly pushing herself off of the ground, she stared at both Minato and the mysterious female as before noticing something spinning around the area.

All of the tarot cards that belonged to Minato circled the area where they all had been fighting. Hearing a groan, she turned her head and saw people moving. "Boss! Leone! Tatsumi!" She cried out as she saw them all move.

"Ugh… Akame… did you beat Minato?" Tatsumi groaned, rolling around a bit as he shakily got back up.

Najenda winced but then blinked as she saw the lights around them. "This light… just like when Minato would…" Trailing off, the female looked around and spotted Minato. But then she frowned in confusion when she saw who he was with. "Who is that? Why is she able to wield Minato's Teigu with ease?"

"Because it was never a Teigu in the first place." Minato answered, hearing them all. All of them got up to their feet immediately when they heard him address their question. But he began to walk forward and past them, ignoring the looks. "Because it was never mine to begin with. It was just a borrowed power that had been made into my own."

Finally, after continuously stepping forward, he stopped right in front of Leone. Bending his legs, he noticed that she was healed but not up yet. But then a tiny stir perished the thought of being too late as he watched her move around a bit and opened her eyes. "…Minato…" She breathed warily.

"Your armored and blonde friends are very weird with that armor and those cat ears." Elizabeth suddenly spoke up. "I hope you didn't mind me taking the liberty of changing their bodies a bit during the process."

"Wait, what?!" Tatsumi looked down at himself, feeling different. He felt like… he felt like he was himself again. Forcing Incursio back into its sword form, he glanced down at his hands. Soon enough, he began to cheer with joy as Akame and Najenda were still shocked.

Minato meanwhile blinked and looked to the top of Leone's head. Elizabeth was right. The cat ears on top of the blonde's head were indeed gone. "Oi… my face is down here." Minato heard Leone chuckle at her own sentence as he looked down to see the girl smiling brightly. Even her clothing was back to normal. Sure, the Teigu that served as a belt was shattered a bit, but it probably was still functional while she could maybe still fuse with it.

"Wait, what the did she-?!"

Hearing Najenda's voice suddenly raise with surprise, Minato felt the same gloved hand from before tap his shoulder. Looking back, he saw Elizabeth standing right over him. "I don't like bringing pain to your parade… or is it rain on your parade? Either way, it's time to go now. We had a deal. Your body is dying, meaning that my power has run out. Come now, before we lose you."

Minato blinked before his face fell a bit in remembrance. He eyed the cards ascend into the air but soon dive into the book that Elizabeth held in her arms. He sighed, turning around to see Leone's confused face. He saw her blink and frown curiously at the predicament that Minato was in at the moment.

"Minato… what is she talk-"

Leone did get to finish her sentence because Minato kissed her.

The blonde and every other witness was caught entirely by surprise when Minato placed both his hands over her cheeks to help draw their lips together. For a split-second her mind tried to reason with what was happening, and then she deepened the kiss and her hastily formed thoughts promptly faded into the background. She could taste the warmth of his mouth and inhale the distinctness of his scent. She could sense a desperate need behind the act yet feel the gentleness that was being used to convey it.

"I love you, Leone." Minato whispered before standing up again.

It seemed like time had lost its meaning before they finally pulled back, both as breathless as the other. A more coherent Leone would have come up with a comeback or at the very least, something witty for a response. As it stood, it was a miracle she managed to form an intelligible sentence.

"You… you kissed me."

"I did." Minato nodded his head, confirming that was what happened. Taking in a deep breath, he closed his eyes. It was as if he began to soon struggle to say a sentence. But then he soon spoke again. "But I'm afraid this is where we part ways, Leone."

Turning around, he looked at Elizabeth who only smiled with a bit of sadness hidden away very well. He knew that she slightly regretted her actions. But he accepted terms that he himself had made and was ready. Even though he didn't want to go, he had to.

Soon, the lady dressed in blue turned around and began to walk towards one of the alleyways with Minato slowly following. Despite her shock, Leone out of all of the Night Raid members began to get up and run after them.

"Wait! What do you mean by that?!" The blonde called out as they turned a corner. Pumping more strength into her feet, she skidded around the area where she last saw them. But then they disappeared without a trace. Leone frowned in confusion. But then an idea popped into her mind where they could have possibly went.

As Najenda, Akame, and Tatsumi rounded the corner as well, Leone was gone.

 **PXA**

It was a small miracle that the building where Minato called the inside the Velvet Room was still standing despite the other buildings around it were turned into nothing but rubble. Minato looked up and down the structure that he owned and was impressed that there wasn't even a single sign of damage to it.

"Well then, shall we proceed?" Elizabeth asked, stepping forward while turning around. Right next to her was the door; the entrance to what Minato called the Velvet Room.

Before he could take a step forward, he heard a voice call out his name. Slowly turning, he felt a beat in his chest when he saw Leone running towards him. "And just where do you think you're going?" She asked, skidding to a halt so that she was just a few feet away from the male. "Running off like that after kissing and saying that you love me. Seriously, aren't you supposed to be a responsible guy?"

"…Yes… I suppose I am supposed to be." Minato said after a period of silence, thinking about what to say. "But if I were responsible… I wouldn't have fallen in love with you… with my sister. Which is why it hurts me… hurts me so much to say farewell." He turned around as stepped into the building as Elizabeth had opened the door.

Leone was too slow to react though. Just as she lunged forward, Elizabeth had already shut the door. Grabbing the knob, Leone furiously tried to open the door. But the barrier wouldn't budge. Trying to tear the door apart didn't help either, her efforts proving to be futile. Soon she began to ram herself against the door, at least attempting to knock it over.

Inside, Minato looked around the area he called the Velvet Room. It looked the same as ever. Even after not tending to it for so long, everything managed to remain spotless. Walking around, he hand trailed against the surface of the table where he would read fortunes. He sighed in nostalgia, looking around the blue court room.

Hearing a knock on a door, Minato turned to see Elizabeth standing next to the door which had the black-half of the mask printed on. Opening the door, nothing but a pitch black opening was revealed with a blue frame around it. "It is now time that we depart. Please make your way forward." Elizabeth gestured.

Minato stared for a couple of seconds. Slowly, he began to walk. But then he began to hear Leone's voice accompanied by the banging on the entrance to the place.

"Minato! Open up! Open this door at once! Minato! Minato! If you really did love me, you'd show your face this instant! Minato! Minato!"

He still continued to walk though. His journey was supposed to be short, but it was much longer than it had to be. It was as if the floor were trying to keep him anchored on the spot. As if heavy weights were preventing him from moving. But still, he walked towards the entrance Elizabeth created.

But as soon as he stood in front of the doorway, he froze when he heard it. A sob… Leone's sob from the entrance. Craning his head over, his head cocked to the side to get a better reading of her voice.

"…Please… I'm begging you…Don't go… don't go… Open up… please… I love you too… I love you too!"

Listening to her cries, Minato was once again torn between having to leave or staying. Looking over to Elizabeth, he bent over and whispered something into her ear.

Leaning back, he saw Elizabeth give him a sad look but then nodded her head.

Outside though, Leone was still pounding the door. Losing strength in her strikes, she began to fall to her knees as tears left her eyes. Her head rested against the wood, listening for Minato's voice if he was still in there. He had to be though. Where else would he go?

"This is the last time we will ever see each and hear each other. Goodbye, Leone."

Her ears picked up his voice behind the door. She gasped when she heard it. Her eyes soon noticed a small jiggle of the knob. Grabbing the metal, she ripped the door open and was shocked.

What she saw… was not the Velvet Room she once was in. No… instead it was a completely ruined building. It was as if nobody had lived in the place for years. Marks charred across the walls and floor, evidence of a great fire. Shards of glass were strewn across the floor. Light creeped into the building through the many holes that roof was riddled with.

"What the…" She breathed, rubbing her eyes to make sure that she wasn't dreaming. "What… is this place?" She frowned, looking up and about. While observing anything though, she tripped on something and fell down.

With a grunt, she looked at her feet to see what had blocked her walking. Her eyes went wide though when she saw 20 tarot cards all scattered all over the floor around her feet. Each of them held the exact designs as the cards Minato used. But at the center of all the scattered items was the book that the male also always had on his person.

Reaching over slowly, her hand hesitantly hovered over the book. But with a bit of determination, she grabbed the object and set in in front of her. Grabbing the cover, opened it up and her eyes widened.

Among the pages, it was as if it were a show. It presented the moment when she and Minato first met each other, him in his Thanatos Persona while she had Lionel on. Grabbing the next page, she flipped it over and began to watch them drinking together while he shuffled his deck of cards. Each sheet was turned every second, being able to see all the moments the two of them were together.

As she stared down at the book, she saw a wet mark on the pages. A couple more soon appeared as she blinked. Leaning back and wiping her eyes, she realized that she was crying again. But then it hit her that she was crying because of so many things.

Leone cried because Minato loved her. The blonde cried because she loved him back. She cried because Minato was gone.

She cried because of the final, parting gifts he left her.

 **PXA**

Within the endless darkness were scattered, countless bright lights, like a nebula. But those lights were not stars. Each one of them was a light of life… the gleam of man's souls. It was a world inside people's hearts. A place where every human's consciousness is connected and can be traced to their origin. Every memory since the dawn of man, and even those on the ladder of its evolution, slumbers in such a place.

Some think of the place as a sea.

Such an assumption may be correct.

Depending on how deep one went, they may see endless landscapes and innumerable faces from many worlds. Where Minato and Elizabeth both stood though was one of its furthest depths. A domain that had existed far before life became sentient or even took form. They stood between the darkness of death and the radiance of life.

"It is absolutely amazing." Elizabeth complimented, opening the book in her arms. Twenty-one tarot cards spilled out and began to surround them. Each one held a special glow to them, the light almost calming. "Your bonds are strong, but the way you wield the Personas is absolutely astonishing. I never would have been able to guess that you could potentially wear them. With that kind of power, you are more than ready."

He only nodded in response, not sure if he should speak at the moment. Everything just happened so fast. Minato swore that his mind was still trying to comprehend what he had just gone through. It was almost like the first time he met Elizabeth.

Minato looked up and gazed at a humanoid statue that was in front of them, trying to identify the shape of the stone. Surprise soon filled him. Not upon its discovery though but how it looked exactly like him if such material would be carved into his physique.

Turning his head, he saw Elizabeth just stare at the statue with an unreadable expression. Looking back, Minato took in a deep breath. Bringing his hand up, he held his fingers out and began to step forward. But he didn't get far though when he heard a voice that sounded very familiar. Almost as if… it were him talking.

"Who are you?"

Minato heard the voice and stared at the eyes of the statue. "I am you." He answered. "To be more specific, a different you." Taking another step forward, his fingers were hovering right above the stone when he heard the voice speak again.

"What are you doing?"

This time, he didn't answer. The male instead pressed his fingers against the statue. Feeling himself sucked in, he allowed the force to pull. But as he began to be absorbed into the statue, another Minato fell out from the back of the rock. This one however was not caked in blood, was younger, and looked less exhausted.

The new Minato looked at the statue he was one a part of with surprise. But then his head began to throb. Releasing a small grunt, the man clutched his head. Like a slideshow, images presented themselves before flicking to another.

A massacre. Death. Revival. A deal.

That was what basically summarized what the new Minato saw as he looked over towards Elizabeth. Just staring at her, he didn't know what to think. Eyes soon trailed over towards the statue as he knew that he was now replaced. But not only did the one sealed within forced to stay in that position, but also died at such a young age. "I'm sorry." The new Minato shook his head gently. "I am so sorry."

"You don't have to be. It was not your fault and this was my choice."

The new Minato closed his eyes. "Yes. That is true. It still won't stop me from apologizing though." A choice was made, and there was no turning back now. "Thank you for your sacrifice."

"Thank you for yours. I may have not lived a fine, content life if you did not."

A long breath escaped the new Minato's nostrils as if he were amused. "It's like you know how I will respond and you have your words already ready."

"A bit obvious to why it is. I am thou…"

"Thou art I…" He sighed back, rubbing his head. Looking up to the statue, a thought began to form in his head. But then it was dismissed. If he knew the answer, then he didn't need to be concerned about it.

A tap on his shoulder made him turn around. A pair of familiar, yellow eyes met his gaze as a small smile grew on his lips at the sight. "Come now, Minato. It's time for us to leave."

As a door appeared and Minato walked forward, he heard a roar. Turning around, a patch of the darkness in front of the rock surged an began to warp. The pitch-black substance swelled with a tar-like consistency and quickly took the shape of a giant arm. Though it was just an arm, it began to grow into a familiar form that all of them recognized.

Eyeing the solid form he once was a part of, Minato began to walk into the door Elizabeth provided and was gone. Soon, Elizabeth followed while closing the path.

That left the Minato from the Empire. He was not sure if he could be heard by the massive monster, but he managed to speak. It was unknown if it was verbal or telepathic though.

"Without the Great Seal, you are free to fulfil your goal. But, bad news, Erebus… because the Great Seal is still here." The grand beast ran towards his stony form, but then it was as if an invisible force stopped it right in its tracks before the impact could occur. "You thought you could get out with the Wild Card gone. Now the question is, how it possible? The answer, because of me. So if you had any sort of ideas, or plans on bringing ruin to humanity, just remember who's standing in your way."

The monster continued to throw itself against the barrier, as if it would be the way to break through.

As if he took a deep breath, he began to remember every moment. He lived with his clan. His life was supposed to end after an attack. But then he was revived and a deal was made. Moving to the Capital with his sister, the two of them lived their lives in content. But then the wheels of fate began to start turning. He began to be involved with more events with each passing day.

Minato remembered meeting Night Raid. He could still picture the days when he was with the Jaegers. He felt nothing when Stylish died. Bols met death and Minato still wondered if he should have had done something to this moment. Seryu's suicide in front of him was heartbreaking, her dying was an event set in stone even when he saved her. Run managed to find peace when extracting his revenge, his ashes still probably traveling the lands of the Empire. Wave and Kurome… such a lovely pair as he wished the best for them whem he blessed and healed the two with Ishtar. Esdeath… he loved her so much… but he wasn't certain it was as strong as hers. Leone… he missed her already.

But the memories of everybody... of what he went through… he did not regret going through every moment. Yes, there were very bad moments. But what life didn't have those kinds of points. He would never trade the life he lived for anything else.

"Bring. It. On." Minato challenged, still watching the monster. "I lived for this."

 **PXA**

Akame stared out towards the ocean that greeted her sight as she was at the front of the boat.

She only stood in place, gazing at the horizon that presented more of the sea with every passing moment. The markings that tattooed her body still pained her, but then she was able to bear it. Akame had began to set out around the world, finding a way to heal her cursed body. She didn't know how long her journey was going to be, but she had a feeling it was going to be for a long time.

"Yo, Akame, what are you thinking about?"

Looking back, the black-haired female saw Leone walking up towards her with a small smile. The red-eyed girl could help but show a bit of the same expression. "Just thinking how long this will be." She answered, staring at her blonde friend. "How are you? It's been a very long time since Minato's sudden disappearance."

"…" Leone kept her smile up but then a pained look was in her eyes. Reaching over to her back, there was the book that had been left behind in the ruins of where the Velvet Room last was. "It's fine…" She slowly answered, tracing the book with her finger. "I just wonder where he is right now. But I'm sure he's doing something extremely important. Besides… it was nice to know how he felt about me…"

"What about you?" Akame asked. But then she saw the look on Leone's face and that question was answered as the smile never left her lips.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Leone reached to her side towards a small pouch. Opening it, she pulled out a deck of tarot cards. "I've been practicing my readings." Leone grinned as she split the deck in four in a smooth motion, resting each end of the chunks against one another. Putting them back together, she put it behind her back and flicked a random card into the air.

As if flew up and then down, Leone swung her arm around and snatched it in mid-air while having it rest perfectly on it fellow cards. The object also was turned around, presenting the 0 Fool arcana.

"Tell me, Akame, do you believe in fortune telling?"

 **So after about 25,600 words later… I'm finally finished this piece of crap of a chapter.**

 **Hoo body… what a week it was. So… I'm honestly feeling exhausted after this. Yes, you can call it lazy, pathetic, extremely bad, you can completely shit on it. But this is how I envisioned the ending.**

 **Yes, the connection between Minato (AGK) and Elizabeth was planned right from the start. Bringing Minato back to life and offering him a chance to live. In return, he had to strengthen himself in order to become strong enough to become the Great Seal to replace the P3 Minato.**

 **And with being related to Esdeath and her feeling to keep her brother strong so that he wouldn't die again… it felt like possibility.**

 **Yes… it was going to end up being EsdeathxMinato and/or LeonexMinato. DEAL WITH IT!**

 **Makoto died killing Honest… TD that shit! It's mine! Unless someone else already did that… the FUCK! But about Makoto, despite me almost making about 3 chapters actually involving him… I almost couldn't find any other ways to write him well inside for the rest of the story. But yeah, again, him dying and killing Honest was always meant to be at the end.**

 **Perhaps I should address what happened to all of the other Jaegers. I only did mention them a bit in Minato's finale.**

 **Bols. He was going to die… yes. Minato read this in the cards and found himself concerned if he should end up telling the Jaegers or even the man himself. Bols noticed Minato's private concern and confronted him about the issue. The soldier understood what Minato was going on about and said that it was okay and thanked Minato for the information, and that he should let it be if that is the case.**

 **Next… Seryu. As she began to think, she actually began to question her own justice a lot more harshly than she should have. When thinking about what she was doing at the moment, something began to make her think about her past self. She eventually reached a state of depression when realizing all of the bad deeds she did and called them justice in the past.**

 **Minato read the future of Seryu's death and decided that he would attempt to take matters in his own hands. When Seryu's fight with Mine would come up, Minato would face off against Tatsumi. While Seryu and Mine converse in their fight, Seryu found it more difficult to defend the actions that she committed even though she was a changed person. Minato managed to save Seryu in the nick of time, but then Koro is destroyed by Pumpkin.**

 **After a small conversation, Seryu cries while pointing a gun to her own head. Begging for Minato to just let her kill herself for penance due to what she did, Minato was too slow to react and Seryu pulled the trigger. After several moments of silence and mourning, Minato realized that Seryu's death still came even though he saved her.**

 **Run… pretty bland. He gets his revenge. He dies. But rather than Kurome turning him into a puppet, Minato burns the body and uses a Garudyne to scatter the ashes around the land.**

 **Kurome and Wave… After the two sisters fight, Minato heals Kurome for a last time while using Ishtar. Simple as that.**

 **Interactions with Leone though… I don't know. There was some stuff going to be here and there. I thought about Leone even meeting Makoto, but I soon found myself against that.**

 **But anyways… in the end… it's finished.**

 **If you like it, good.**

 **If you don't, okay.**

 **If you hate it, at least reason why rather just saying that you hate it and leave it at that. That's more of a stupid flame rather than a critique.**

 **I** **f you want to do a reading... rewrite... adoption... something or other that is related to this fic... at least PM me for my permission so I could also give you the files if needed as well.**

 **And like that, farewell until you decide to read another one of my stories.**

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